


Of Dragons and Men

by zaynedere



Series: Of Dragons and Men [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Blood, Caves, Cuddles, Cuddly Shiro, Cuts, Death, Dragon AU, Fighting, Gore, Knights - Freeform, Knights in Training, Lance Being An Idiot, M/M, Mentions of War, Prince Lance - Freeform, Queen Allura, Servants, Swords, kingdom au, scholars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-11-04
Packaged: 2018-08-14 08:56:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 37,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8006878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zaynedere/pseuds/zaynedere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prince Lance of Altea thinks he can slay the two dragons south of their kingdom. Boy, was he wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The high prince of Altea wandered along the castle halls clad in his everyday clothing; luxurious blue cotton rested on his shoulders and arms as they met equally luxurious linen bottoms that clung to his thin hips. The outfit accentuated the prince’s gorgeous eyes, making them almost glow. Women, and often men too, swooned at his presence, and he liked to think that it was because of his superior beauty, not his superior class. 

He opened the door to the library, where his Queen, otherwise known as his elder sister, sat at a table with books stacking taller than she. Lance walked over, watching her tuck some stray white strands behind her ear. The Queen looked up and smiled softly, greeting her younger. 

“Hello Lance,” She said in her wonderfully foreign accent. “Is there something you needed?”

“No, I was just wondering what you were doing. You looked really concerned for a second there.” He replied smoothly, moving to stand by her side. He looked over the book she currently had open, examining its contents. Pristine drawings of dragons decorated the right page whilst the the left page described the creature. Silent, evil, greedy. Kill on sight. Don’t negotiate. Lance sighed silently, agreeing with the page. Dragons often came to the outer stretches of their town and stole food, or stole sheep for themselves, and anyone sent to kill them never returned. 

“Ah, no, actually. Those dragons are becoming quite a problem. We’ve lost many sheep to them, and if we continue to lose them we won’t have enough wool for the winter. No one has voulenteered to slay them, though, and I grow more weary at the thought of our citizens being cold through the winter.” The Queen sighed and Lance rubbed her back softly, sighing.

 

“I’m sure somebody will soon. If not, you could send one of our knights, hell, even I would go.” Allura gasped softly at Lance mentioning that he would leave. 

“Lance, no. You could never defeat a dragon. I know you’re strong, but those dragons have taken down even our strongest knights. I do not want to lose you too.”

Lance nodded and sighed, patting Allura’s back before stepping away from his queen. “I’m going to retire to bed, remember not to stay up too late, sister.” He smiled at her, and she returned to gesture, then sat down and continued her studying. The younger closed the door silently, then wandered back to his own room. Once there, he passed his bed that was covered in lavish purples and blues and towards his wall decorated with expensive rapiers and broadswords. 

He laid his fingers on the golden and worn handle of his favorite rapier. His father had given it to him when he was younger, and the boy had trained with it to this day. He’s never battled with it, unless you include hay dummies. If you did, then Lance has proudly downed hundreds of those hay filled creatures. He was good with the sword, and could probably take on some of their strongest knights, if they even thought of challenging him. The thought of the knights made him think of their dragon problem, and he glanced at his rapier. If only he could leave…

Well, Allura never said no.

He didn’t stop to think like he should have, and undressed, dressing in his thin, long sleeve training shirt, then his blue and golden vest that had large pockets sewn into them. He tucked his undershirt into thicker fur pants, and wrapped a thick pelt around his waist, sliding on his hunting boots after completely dressed. He then moved over to the wall decorated with his fathers and grandfathers swords, opting on grabbing his rapier. The familiar weight rested itself in his hand, and it only encouraged him in this stupid and dangerous adventure. He removed his crown and laid it gently on his left nightstand, then blew out the candles and silently left his room.

He knew how to get out of the castle without anyone knowing; he’d done it many times, and here he is, doing it again. All he had to do is go down a side staircase then hop out of one of the first floor windows. Once out, he hopped on his favored Clydesdale, who was properly name Richie. He slid his rapier in the holder he himself put on Richie’s saddle, then clicked his heels against his horses side, smiling softly as they started trotting along one of the many worn paths towards the south end of the city. He made sure to only take the dirt roads farther away from the homes lest he warned any townspeople or guards, keeping Richie at an even trot. Once they reached the southernmost point, the two turned left, trotting along the long path towards the dragons cave.

He went over what he knew of the two dragons that resided in those caves. First, there was a very large and strong dragon with a jagged scar across his face, and his scales were black and grey. The second dragon was red and much smaller than the other, but fiercely protective and twice as hostile. Lance figured that killing the first one will be easier, though using his energy on the larger one might be a better tactic. He never paid attention in his war classes, so he admittedly didn’t know what he was doing. He only knew that he was going to kill those dragons with his fathers rapier, and he was going to do it unscathed. 

As they neared the cave, Lance had Richie stay near the cave, close enough to hear him. If for some reason Lance wouldn’t be coming back, he trained Richie to go get help, or to at least return to the castle. The prince then hopped off of his horse and unsheathed his familiar sword, petting along Richies neck and kissed the side of his muzzle softly. “Wish me luck, Richie. Don’t leave without me,” He whispered, then started off through the tall, dry grass that resided in from of the dark cave. He saw a light flash up though, and stay, so he figured that the two had lit some sort of fire. As he drew nearer, he noticed only one shadow, and smirked softly. Maybe this would be easier than he thought. 

Lance was now at the mouth of the cave, and he readied his rapier as his boots clicked into the cave. He watched the shadow move slightly at the sound. “Shiro?” A deep, quiet voice spoke. “You return?” Lance could tell that the dragon wasn’t very good with spoken English. He sighed silently, stepping into the others line of sight. This was the dragon with red scales decorating his body, revealing pale patches of skin along his torso. Loose red pants hung on the dragons hips, held on only by a long, golden tassel that had little coins and chains dangling from it, clinking together and the creature faced Lance. 

He was stunning, Lance noted, with red scales decorating the highlights of his face and leading to yellow, slitted eyes that stared at Lance. Long, red ears folded back as he started to growl, revealing sharp teeth that could tear a man in seconds. Two curved, red-orange horns laid upon his head, and those laid nestled in a thick head of black hair, that was messy and knotted. Lance cooled himself and readied his rapier, looking the dragon in the eye and trying to still his shaking. 

“I-I am Lance, high prince of Altea, and I’ve come to slay the dragons attacking our village,” Lance cursed his shaky voice and hands, as the dragon smirked and darted towards him, and the prince was pushed onto a pile of gold coins and abandoned swords, eyes wide as the red beast growled at him and raised a sword up, holding it wrong, much to Lance’s displeasure. If he was going to be killed like this, the other could at least hold the weapon correctly. 

He swallowed down his fear, and dropped his own rapier. “If you’re going to kill me, hold the sword correctly.” He grumbled. The dragon blinked, furrowing his eyebrows. He understood, that was good. 

“Correct?” He shifted, and adjusted his hands, and oh god, he made it worse. 

“No, you idiot, like this,” He huffed, reaching up and adjust the others grip, hands shaking softly. Of course he was scared, this very much stronger being was above him, ready to kill, and Lance was showing him how to finish him off. “There. Now, get on with it.” He closed his eyes, waiting for pain, anything. Nothing came. 

After ten seconds, he opened his eyes, and saw the dragon staring at his rapier in wonder. The beast picked it up and admired the worn gold on the handle, curiosity in his eyes. Those slitted eyes turned on Lance, narrowing his eyes and slithering closer. The human scooted back, swallowing audibly. “Where get?” He asked, holding the sword out. 

Lance was so fucking confused right now. He thought he was going to die, but was instead being asked by a dragon who barely spoke English where his sword was from. “T-The castle. I am a prince after all.”

“Prince?” It was clear that the dragon had never said that word, pronouncing it wrong. Lance found it cute. 

“Yeah, prince. Like, there’s a King and Queen, and a prince and princess. Don’t you know of them?” Lance questioned, figuring that the curious dragon wasn’t going to kill him. The dragon shook his head. 

“Shiro tell no story with prince.” Lance figured that this ‘Shiro’ was the other dragon, and didn’t want to know where he was. 

The human smiled softly at the dragon. “I’ll tell you a story then.” He watched the dragon actually get more comfortable, crossing his legs and running a long tail around himself. Lance hadn’t seen the tail before, and found the red scales that decorated it to be gorgeous. “Okay, so there once was a queen…”

\-----

Lance figured that it was early morning, due to the sun rising seen in the east. The dragon had fallen asleep, curled up and head in Lance’s lap. He found that this dragon was much like the cat he had at home, carefully petting the thick and tangled black hair. He then remembered his mission of killing the two dragons, and eyed his abandoned rapier. The prince couldn’t bring himself to raise that sword to this creature; he was just so cute and absolutely stunning; he wasn’t going to take that beauty off of this planet. 

He soon fell asleep as well, hand resting on the others head. 

\----

When he woke, he found himself laying down, and a pair of slitted yellow eyes staring curiously at his face. Lance blinked and remembered his surroundings, smiling softly. “Hey there. Never seen a pair of blue eyes before?” The other shook his head, laying a hand on Lances chest to get a closer look. Lance wheezed softly, wincing. “Buddy, you’re a-a bit heavy there.” The dragon immediately got off, watching Lance get up. 

The beast cleared his throat, standing as well. He was shorter than Lance by a few inches, but was still intimidating yet stunning at the same time. “Keith.” He pointed at himself. He pointed at Lance and waited for the prince to speak. 

 

“Keith? Your name’s Keith, okay. I’m Lance,” He spoke, pointing at himself. Keith nodded, smiling softly at him, grabbing Lances wrist and leading him to the back of the cave, where there lay some pelts and more piles of gold. 

“Shiro tell story here. Do you like story?” Keith asked, sitting and bringing his new friend with him. Lance nodded. “I tell story.”

Keith told a story of many dragons that soared the sky, and of Shiro who had lost one wing in a battle. Lance eyed Keiths red wings, noting how smooth they looked. “Do you like to fly?” Lance asked when the story was over, and Keith nodded. 

“Fun, see everything.” He spread out his arms as a gesture, a warm smile on his face. 

“Uh, Keith? Where’s Shiro?” Keith looked down when Lance mentioned this, eyes now downcast. 

“Shiro… Shiro gone. Missing.” He mumbled, and Lance could feel the sadness radiating off of the dragon. After a moment of thought, the human pulled Keith into a light hug, and the dragon snuggled into him, eyes closing. 

“I… I’ve got to leave soon, Keith,” He felt Keith grab at his shirt, stiffening. “But I’ll come back, okay? Tonight. I’ll bring you some food too, and we can tell more stories.” 

Keith nodded after a moment, pulling away from Lance and standing with the human. He followed the human to the edge of the cave and looked at him cautiously. “You come back?” Lance nodded, smiled. He got a small smile in return, and with that, the Altean Prince went back to Richie, whom had stayed there dutifully. He hopped on with a sigh.

This was going to be difficult to explain to his sister.


	2. Chapter 2

Lance made his way back to the castle quickly, trying to avoid running into any townspeople and roaming merchants. When he arrived and put Richie away, patting his muzzle and feeding him some leftover carrots before trying to sneak back inside. His sneakiness is to no avail though, when his elder sister sprinted towards him and tackled him with a hug. “Where did you go?! I can’t believe you just… Left. Without telling anyone! Without telling me!”

Lance chuckled nervously. “Can uh, we go talk in private?” Allura nodded and dragged him into her private quarters, pushing the heavy wooden door shut. The younger rubbed the back of his neck, sitting on his sisters already made bed. “So uh, I may have gone to slay the dragons.”

“You what?! I can’t believe you Lance! You could have died. Wait. Why aren’t you dead? Do you mean to tell me that you actually killed the dragons?” Allura practically screeched, pacing around her large room. 

Lance shook his head, biting his lip. “Well, I made friends with one of them? The other wasn’t there and I meant to slay him but he was pretty and he fell asleep on me and I couldn’t bring myself to kill him… I’m sorry Allura…” He mumbled the last part, looking down. He knew how much trouble those dragons were causing, and he just practically encouraged them. 

Allura took a moment to assess her younger brothers behavior before sighing and joining him on the bed. “Lance, I was worried that you’d gotten hurt. Even if you made friends with that… Dragon… You could’ve died. Without anyone knowing. Please don’t do that again.” She brought him close and kissed his temple like she did when he was younger. “How about you tell me about that dragon? Maybe we can… I don’t know, maybe negotiate with him.”

Lance leaned into his sister’s embrace with a small chuckle. “I don’t think he’d understand if we tried to negotiate with him. He can understand English but speaking it is a whole ‘nother thing. He’s… lonely. The other dragon had left and hasn’t come back for a long time. I think... I think maybe caring for the dragon may be of use… He’s really cute too.” He flushed as he said those words, but he couldn’t lie to his sister. 

Allura giggled softly at him. “I bet he is. Many dragons are quite handsome. They are meant to lure in humans to steal their gold. Usually they kill the humans after meeting them, but I suppose this dragon is starved for attention... “ The room is silent as Allura thinks for a moment. If they take care of this creature, then maybe their problem with sheep will come to an end. Lance also seems quite smitten with him. She smiled, nudging Lance. “How about you visit that dragon again tonight, and bring him some food. Maybe if we can keep him happy, then our sheep problem could be solved. What do you say, Lance?” 

Said prince’s eyes practically glowed, a large smile coming to his face. “That sounds amazing! Can I teach him how to read as well? And speak? That would make him so happy.” Allura nodded at him, and the boy jumped up, rushing over to the door. “I’ll see you later, I’m going to get prepared for tonight. Could you ask the chef to prepare some extra meat tonight?” After getting another nod from his Queen, Lance practically squealed as he ran out of the room, heading straight to the library. He couldn’t help himself, he was excited to see Keith again. 

The first books he grabbed were some old fairy tale books that their father had read to them when they were children. He figured Keith would like the ones with more adventure and action in them. He then searched for the older alphabet books, trying to find the one that he used when he was younger. It took an hour and several layers of dust, but he finally found the book he was looking for. Lance grinned, triumphant, and went ahead and grabbed a quill and ink jar as well as some paper so that Keith may practice writing. He lugged these things upstairs and into his room, setting his things on the floor, then searching for a light blanket that he could bring with him. After finding a sufficient blanket, he grabbed a comb since he doesn’t know if he could stand to see Keith’s matted hair for much longer. 

The real problem was finding a bag that could fit everything. He had brought up a lot of stuff. He paused in thought, rubbing his chin. Maybe I could use Richie’s saddlebags? He asked himself, then nodded. He could fit as much as he could in his bags, then hopefully fit the rest in the saddle bags. He knew the weight wouldn’t bother his horse; He’d lugged carriages much heavier than this. Lance grinned to himself, grabbing a bag and packing his books and parchment in it, along with the comb. 

A knock at his door brought him out of his daydream, and he cleared his throat, opening the door. Hunk, his servant and best friend, was standing in front of his door and rubbing the back of his neck. The bigger mans shoulders relaxed as soon as he laid his eyes on Lance. “L-Lance! Where were you this morning? I had brought you breakfast since you hadn’t come down to the dining hall in the morning like usual, but you weren’t in bed. Did you take Richie out before I woke up?”

Lance bit his lip. He couldn’t just come out and be like, yeah, I went out last night to slay a dragon and now I really like him and I’m going back tonight, don’t wait up. He nodded at Hunk’s question, because hey, he was technically right. “Uh, yeah! I woke up way early and thought that Richie’s legs could use a stretch.” He knew he was a bad liar, and He knew that Hunk knew, and hopefully his best friend wouldn’t say anything. 

Luckily, Hunk didn’t say anything about it, but did give him a skeptical look. “Okay… Also, Pidge is looking for you. You wrote something wrong in your studies or something? I don’t know, that’s just all I got out of them from behind their pile of books. Also, I saved your breakfast, so you should get to it before I’ve gotta toss it to the pigs.” Lance nodded at him, smiling at his friend. He was always so nice, and sometimes Lance forgot that he was in a way lower position than he. 

“Thanks, Hunk. I’ll be down for breakfast in a bit, and I’ll go see that shorty of a scholar before he gets on you.” With that, Lance shuts his door and hears Hunk walk away. He sighed softly; he despised lying to him, but it was for his own good. Hopefully.

After changing into a new outfit that mirrored the one he wore earlier the day before, he went downstairs as promised and got his plate of breakfast, which consisted of freshly picked grapes, strawberries, and a piece bread that was probably fresh earlier this morning, but still tasted just as good as he bit into it happily. Hunk was the one who made the bread almost every morning, and he was damn good at it. 

After his plate was cleaned of food and was gingerly set in the kitchen, Lance wandered over to the Library, going to the upstairs portion of the library to look for the young scholar that tutored him. After a few minutes of searching, he found the other behind a large fort of books, and walked around to the other side, tapping the others shoulder. “Pidge? Hunk said you wanted to see me?”

The shorter turned and nodded, looking up at him. “Yeah. You’re nearly twenty and you spelled partially wrong. Do I need to make you write it one hundred times like I did with divine?” Ah yes, how could he forget how sassy his tutor could get. 

Lance groaned. “Anything but that. I think I can still feel the cramps that I got in my hand from that. Do you want me to re-write that sentence instead?”

Pidge nodded. “Re-write it five times. If you manage to do them all correctly, I’ll let you off with just a warning. Next time though, I won’t hesitate to make you write it a thousand times.” Lance shivered at the mere mention of that, and grabbed a spare piece of paper and quill, dipping the pointed tip in Pidge’s already opened ink jar. He wrote the sentence The bread was partially eaten five times like his tutor wanted, making sure to spell it correctly each time and keep his writing consistent. It wasn’t his best work, but it was sufficient enough for Pidge to set him free to do as he pleased.

Before he could even be free though, Lance was stopped by Coran, the queen's advisor. “Ah Lance! I’ve been looking for you!” Lance sighed inwardly. Coran was a great guy, really, but always managed to rope him into something that one of the servants could do. “Will you mind helping me carry some books from the war room? There’s only a few!” Lance nodded in acceptance. A few books couldn’t hurt, right?

A few books his ass. There was a book fort that could rival his scholar’s, and they needed them all back in the library before their war meeting that afternoon. Lance sighed heavily, and grabbed a small pile, starting his trek back to the library. After twelve trips, yes, he counted, they were finally done. Coran pat him on the back, a grin resting under that bright orange and well trimmed mustache. “Thank you, Prince!”

Lance nodded at him tiredly, heading back up to his room to finish preparing for the night. He made sure that he had everything, checking off the last thing as another knock came to his door. He opened it to reveal Hunk, and smiled at him. “Hey Hunk, did you need something?”

Hunk nodded, returning the smile. “Yeah. Dinner’s ready. The Queen is already there, so I suggest you hurry.” Lance nodded and stepped out of his room, following his friend downstairs and into the dining hall. The long table was decorated in their dinner items, which looked like lamb for their main meal, then some lovely looking mashed potatoes and asparagus. Lance didn’t much care for the green vegetable, but he would marry those mashed potatoes if he could. Hunk made the best potatoes. 

Lance took his seat next to Allura and scooped up a heavy serving of mashed potatoes and lamb. He loved being royalty; they got to eat from the best chefs around, aka Hunk. He quickly finished off his food, leaving his plate nearly shining. Just before he could dash away though, Allura cleared her throat. “Lance, I don’t believe you ate any asparagus?” The prince deflated, having almost gotten away with it. 

He went and scooped up a few of the green stalks, eating them with a huff. Allura definitely acted like his mother sometimes. It didn’t always bother him, but he did get a bit huffy when she made him eat his vegetables. When he was done, he stood up hesitantly and Allura nodded. “Do be back in the morning, midday at latest.”

With that, Lance dashed up to his room to grab his things, then back to Richie, saddling him up and making sure he had everything. Once he had triple checked everything, he hopped up and got Richie to start off in a trot. He took the same path that he did the previous night, taking a deep breath of the fresh air as it rustled his short hair. He once again took a left at the edge of town, and got Richie to stop for him in the same spot as yesterday. Lance gathered his things with a large smile, walking over to the cave and peering inside.   
“Keith? I came back.” He peered in further, and managed to put his things down before he was tackled in a bear hug. A dragon hug, maybe? Anyways, Keith was grinning, his big canines being shown off. “Woah, I’m glad I was missed.” He said with a chuckle, returning the hug lightly. 

Keith pulled away after a moment, nodding. “Lonely here.” Lance nodded, and kneeled down next to his food, grabbing the leftover lamb that was wrapped in some spare broadcloth. 

“Here, Keith. I brought you some food. I figured that you were hungry.” He opened it up and handed Keith the meat, who took it and peered at it with curiosity. He eventually took a tentative bite, then tore into it, eating it to the bone. Lance was impressed with his speed. 

“Thank. It good.” Keith spoke, tossing the bone over into a small pile. Lance nodded, now pulling out his wooden comb. 

“Now, let me introduce you to the comb. You could surely use it.” Keith tilted his head, blinking at the object. “Sit down. This will make your hair pretty, like mine.” Keith laughed at him. 

“You hair short. Not pretty.” Lance huffed, but let himself smile. What a cutie. 

He sat behind Keith and started to gingerly comb out the dragon's hair, humming a quiet tune that Keith seemed to enjoy. He seemed to really enjoy it, because he felt soft vibrations coming from the shorter. Oh my god, Lance thought. He really is like a giant cat. He didn’t actually say anything, just combing out Keith’s hair and continuing to hum that quiet tune. Lance couldn’t quite place where he had heard it from, but he’d ask Allura tomorrow. 

After a good hour or so, Keith’s hair was soft to the touch and no longer tangled. Lance was proud of his work, smiling. “I’ll bring a mirror tomorrow so that you can see how you look. I bet you’ll love it.”

Keith nodded and stretched, yawning. He stood and tugged on Lance’s wrist. The prince followed, sitting on one of the pelts. Keith gestured for him to lay down, and Lance did so, a bit confused. Said confusion was cleared up when Keith curled up next to him, yawning softly and letting those brilliant yellow eyes close. 

Lance had more plans for Keith, but for right now, he let Keith sleep, letting his own eyes fall shut. In reality, he should’ve been scared to be falling asleep next to a living, breathing dragon. But he couldn’t help it. The dragon was cute, no, adorable, stunning as well. The prince trusted the dragon, and right now, he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

\-----

When he woke up that morning, he felt very warm, and when he looked down, he saw the source of heat. Keith was curled up against Lance’s side, breathing softly in his peaceful sleep. The human smiled at that, hand moving down and petting Keiths still soft hair, being sure not to wake him. He supposed he wasn’t careful enough though, because yellow eyes appeared under long black lashes, looking up at Lance after adjusting to the light. A small smile appeared on his face. 

“Lance,” He mumbled. “You stay.” Lance nodded at this, continuing to comb his fingers through Keith’s hair. 

“Of course,” He murmured. “I promised I wouldn’t leave.” Keith’s tired face broke out into a grin, and he nuzzled his scaled face into Lances chest. After maybe a good twenty minutes of cuddling that Lance very much enjoyed, he cleared his throat. “I brought some things for you; stuff to help you learn English. Would you like to learn?”

Keith nodded immediately, curious eyes looking up at the human. “Learn?” Lance nodded, getting up. He missed the warmth that came with Keith, but cleared his head a bit as we walked over to his backpack, beckoning him over as he pulled out the alphabet book. 

“Here. This is the alphabet. Learning this will help you learn every word in our language. Let’s begin.”  
\-----

They went through the whole alphabet, and Keith did very well, except for the ‘s’s and ‘z’s, those were difficult for him. They’d work on it later. Next, Lance got out one of the fairy tale books, getting Keith to read it along with him. It took them an hour to get through the book, but Lance remained patient as Keith read. “Look at you! You’re doing so well,” Lance said with strong praise in his voice, and Keiths ears perked as his face broke into a grin. 

The prince could tell that Keith adored praise, patting his head then looking to the outside of the cave with a quiet sigh. “Alright Keith, it’s about time I leave. Why don’t you keep practicing the alphabet while I’m gone, okay? I’ll bring more food as well.” Keith nodded and kept his smile, hugging Lance close. The human laughed softly and returned the hug. “Okay, I’m off. Be good, alright?” 

Keith nodded at him, and Lance stood up, smiling and exiting the cave. He was really glad that he went to slay the dragons, even if he didn’t actually get around to it. That dragon was the sweetest thing ever, and Lance was already looking forward to that night. He hopped onto Richie, lightly kicking his heels against his Clydesdale’s sides. The wind once again ruffled his hair as he rode atop his horse. 

Now, what should he bring for Keith tonight?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kudos!! I got this one done quicker for you guys! Thank you all again!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theres a little bit of Shiro in this one guys!! The next chapter will have more backstory on Shiro and Keith, so stay tuned!

The ride back was relaxing, and it gave him a little bit of time to think about Keith and his future with him. Maybe once Keith was better at reading and speaking English, he could accompany him back to the castle? That guy would love it! Maybe. He still doesn’t know much about his dragon friend, but he hoped to get more from him within the next week. Lance also wondered about this ‘Shiro’ and questioned where he was. It was obviously a touchy subject for Keith, so he didn’t bring it up much, but he didn’t think a dragon just goes  _ missing. _ At least, he didn’t think that they did. The prince shook his head. He’ll do some research when he arrived back at the castle. 

 

When he did arrive, his Queen was in the stalls, hands trailing along her mares foremark. Lance climbed off of Richie and led him into his own stall, digging around in one of the nearby buckets for a cube of sugar for his horse. He fed it to the towering Clydesdale, smiling softly and murmuring quiet praise. Allura came over after a moment and rested her hand on Lance’s shoulder, rubbing the area softly. “How is that dragon?” She asked quietly, hand going up run along Richie’s mane. 

 

Lance smiled fondly, looking down for a moment. “He’s doing really well. I started teaching him how to read, and we read a story together. And last night I combed out his hair since it was such a mess, and Keith has the softest hair ever, even softer than mine, can you believe it?”    
  


Allura chuckled, nodding softly. “Keith, is that his name?” After receiving a nod from Lance, she continued. “Dragons usually have naturally beautiful hair to lure people in, just like how they are stunning to the eye. Keith is no exception to this. Now, how about we go get some breakfast and talk about some important issues.”

 

“Issues? What’s going on?” Lance questioned, worry for his sister in his eyes. 

 

“As I said, we will discuss it over breakfast.” Allura grabbed Lance’s hand and held it, leading him back into the castle. Lance, obviously, was really confused. His sister never discussed issues over breakfast, usually they sat on her bed and talked about the problem. They walked through the tiled hall, their shoes giving soft clicks as they walked up to the dining room door. The prince opened the door for his queen, the two of the them walking in and parting as they took their respective places at the table.

 

After they were served their usual breakfast of bread and fruit, Allura began to speak. “You have heard of the Galra Alliance, correct?”

 

Lance nodded. “Yeah, who hasn’t? It’s that group of northern dragons that fly around and terrorize towns until they fall under Galra control. They’re horrible.” Allura nods, biting her lower lip. 

 

“They’ve seized control of a whole country now, the northern country of Balmera. The Galra are a powerful force, and we need to start preparing for a war.”

 

“A war?” Lance exclaimed. “How do we prepare for a  _ war _ against  _ dragons?” _ Lance was obviously freaking out. A war meant that their townspeople would panic. A war meant that his sister would be stressed. A war meant  _ death. _ Lance  _ despised  _ war, for good reason too. Nothing good ever came out of it, just death, hatred, and absolute  _ fear. _ “We  _ can’t  _ go into a war! Our knights aren’t prepared for dragon fighting. That kind of training takes  _ years,  _ and we have what, at most six months?” 

 

Allura looked down at her plate, admiring the intricate designs on the ceramic dish. Her eyes were downcast as she thought of how to respond to her brother. “Lance, I-I don’t like the idea either.” She looked up, eyes glistening with un-shed tears. “But it’s war, or giving into the rule of the Galra. I will  _ not  _ give into those beasts, our townspeople deserve a fighting chance. It will be tough, and we will no doubt lose many lives. But we must try,” crystal tears began to fall on her dark skin. “We must try, because that’s what Father would have done.”

 

The prince remained silent, watching his sister cry over her breakfast. Lance hadn’t seen her cry for a long while, since he believed her to be strong, and resilient to such feelings. He stood from his chair, walking over to the head of the table and embracing his elder sister, holding her close. It was another minute before he spoke as well. “Allura, if… If you believe this is what we should do, then we must. I’ll have Coran gather our strongest troops, and have our weakest troops put through their paces. I’ll leave now, dearest sister, so please stop crying.” Lance parted and wiped at her face, brushing her tears away with gentle thumbs.The queen gave a soft smile, looking up at her brother. 

 

“Thank you, Lance. Now get going; I know you want to be able to see Keith tonight.” Lance nodded at her and kissed her forehead, then left the dining room, now in search of Coran. The prince wandered for twenty minutes before he finally came across Coran, calling out to him. 

 

“Coran! Come here, there are some things Allura and I need you to do for us.” Coran came over as expected, and looked at him with suspicion. 

 

“What is it, prince? It isn’t going to be something silly like last time?” Ah yes, last time they’d asked Coran to prank the servants to make them all think that Lance had died of some mysterious disease, and oh boy, the castle staff had  _ not _ appreciated their tomfoolery. Lance shook his head, the look of fun and play found nowhere on his face. 

 

“No, I guess Allura didn’t tell you…” He looked around then pulled Coran into a side room, which looked like it happened to be one of the food pantries. “We’re preparing for a war. A war against the Galra.” Coran’s eyes widened even in the dark of the room. “We need you to go through dragon training with our strongest knights, and make sure that our weaker knights get put through their paces. Allura… Allura is very stressed out, so I’m trusting you with this task. Can you do it?”

 

Coran nodded immediately. “Of course sire, I will begin training tonight. Thank you for disclosing this information it’s… I understand our situation. You can trust me, prince Lance.” Lance nodded at Coran, then opened up the door and went back to his room, flopping onto his overly fluffy bed with a loud sigh. 

 

“What am I gonna do?” He whispered, rubbing his face. There was no doubt that he’d have to tell Keith, and he didn’t know what the dragon would do. Would he leave the country to hide? Would he help defend the country? Or even worse, would he join the Galra? The thought sent a shiver down Lance’s spine. He didn’t think that Keith would join the evil army, but then again, he still didn’t know much about Keith. 

 

Lance summoned Hunk to his quarters, opening his door when the soft knock came. “Yeah, Lance? You called?” Lance nodded, running a hand through his short hair. 

 

“Yeah. Will you prepare dinner for me early? And make some extra? I’m going out tonight and want to keep snacks on hand,” He lied, trying to keep his face from giving him away. From the look on Hunk’s face, he wasn’t successful, but his friend wouldn’t say anything. 

 

“Uh, of course, sir. I’ll… I’ll get started now.” Hunk gave Lance a suspicious look then started down the hall towards the stairs. The prince sighed before closing his door, looking around his room and trying to think of something to do. He could just sleep until Hunk finished his dinner… Yeah, that sounded good. Lance flopped onto his bed, hugging one of his many fluffy pillows and drifting off to sleep. 

 

\----

 

When the prince woke, it was to a knock on his door. He rolled out of bed with a groan, stretching his arms up as he opened the door. Hunk was standing there, hand prepped for another round of knocking. “There you are. Your dinner’s ready, so come eat it before it gets cold.”

 

Lance nodded and stepped out of his room with a yawn, closing his bedroom door and walking down to the dining room. Allura was absent from the long table, as expected, and Lance took his normal spot silently, looking down at the plate that had already been made for him. It had a steak, medium rare Lance suspected, and some more mashed potatoes since those were the Prince’s favorite. 

 

Lance ate quietly, thinking of what the war would mean to their people. The residents were peaceful, and he knew that, and they would be wholly opposed to a war. The two would have to do a lot of convincing before they could get the public’s approval. 

 

\----

 

After dinner, he packed up the extra steak for Keith and saddled up Richie, climbing on and letting his horse decided their pace, which happened to be a nice trot. The night sky was clear, not a single cloud covering any of the many, many stars. Lance briefly wondered what it would be like to be up there with the stars, to float among the many constellations that decorated the night sky. He shook his head, laughing softly to himself. Those ideas were just dreams that children spoke of with their friends.

 

Again, they followed the path to the cave, and Lance made sure to grab the bag of food before hopping off, letting Richie relax as the Prince walked over to the cave. He noticed the small flickering shadow of Keith along the cave walls as he drew nearer, then frowned softly as a second, larger shadow appeared. He took one step into the cave, eyebrows drawn close in a mix of worry and curiosity. “Keith?”

 

Before he could take a second step, he saw a large being coming towards him, and before he could even tell his legs to run, the prince was being tackled, sharp claws digging into his upper arms. Lance cried out, hitting the ground hard. When his eyes opened again, he was looking into a pair of narrowed yellow eyes, a loud growling emerging from behind angry canines. Lance felt his heartbeat growing quicker; this beast definitely wanted to kill him. 

 

Though before Lance could be killed, he felt the weight being forced off, leaving large, bloody tears in his arms. The human yelled again, curling up and covering his face. Blue eyes were hidden behind tanned eyelids for a few moments as he heard growling and snarling, before he felt a presence above him. He opened his eyes cautiously, then they blew wide at what he saw.

 

Keith was in a protective stance above Lance, wings unfurled and wide. The dragons eyes were on the other beast, a growl emitting from his throat.  _ He’s protecting me, _ Lance thought, taking a heavy breath as his arms twinged with pain. The larger dragon took a step towards Lance’s head and Keith immediately placed his body above the area, a loud snarl reverberating throughout the cave. The other dragon took a step towards Lance’s legs and Keith repeated the motion of hovering over the area, large ears folded back. The pair of dragons looked like two lions fighting over territory. 

 

“Shiro!” Keith growled out. _So t_ _ his was Shiro.  _ “Lance is friend!” Shiro snarled, disgust dusting across his eyes. After ten minutes of the two snarling at each other and a few swipes that missed, Shiro backed off, having calmed down. Keith had calmed down as well, but remained hovered over Lance protectively. The dragon looked at Shiro for a moment before he moved to lift one of Lance’s arms, looking at the cuts.    
  
The prince let out a soft whine, squeezing his eyes shut. Those cuts must have run deep. Keith seemed to think this too, because he stepped off of Lance, keeping his eyes on the other dragon as he looked to be grabbing some cloth, which was tenderly wrapped around the bleeding cuts. Lance tried to keep himself from crying but he couldn’t help himself; He was an emotional man, and had a low pain tolerance. He felt scaled fingers pushing the tears off of his face, eyes opening to see Keith’s concerned face. The motion was comforting, and he felt well enough to weakly push himself up, the red dragon wrapping his arms around the other protectively as Shiro inched closer. 

 

“You brought a _human_ , Keith. Why must you do this?” Shiro spoke nearly fluent English, which was a nice change, but Lance was still uncomfortable because he couldn’t quite see what the dragon looked like. 

 

Keith’s ears folded back. “He came to kill… but he didn’t… Now he teach me… And feed me… Lance very nice…” Keith kept his arms around the human, eyeing Shiro carefully. Shiro seemed to think about this, then nodded and sighed. 

 

“I’m watching you, _human_.” Shiro growled, slinking off around the corner of the cave and Lance could hear him settling him down on a pelt. Keith laid Lance down and the prince groaned, eyes closing. 

 

“Lance, stay awake. Must take back castle.” Keith said in a worried tone, lifting the other by the armpits and dragging him through the tall grass. Lance whimpered in pain again, eyes looking over at his left arm. The blood was seeping through the make-shift bandages, soaking right through them. His eyes fell closed again, and he could feel them going faster, probably due to Keith’s worry. “Lance, awake, awake, _please_ ,” The dragon said in a panicked voice. “Cuts are deep; must see doctor.” 

 

Lance couldn’t really focus on much, because  _ wow _ , his arms really hurt. After what seemed like forever, he could feel himself being haphazardly lifted onto the horse. “Home, take home.” Keith pushed at the horse’s rear, and Richie huffed and started trotting back, Lance laying along his neck and groaning every few minutes. Keith, after little thought, took to the sky, following the horse back.

 

He had to ensure Lance’s safety.

 

\-----

 

Lance woke up in his own bed, tired blue eyes blinking open. He went to sit up then groaned, falling back down. His arms were still sore as hell, and he glanced down to see the neatly wrapped wounds on his upper arms. He felt a dip in his large bed and his head jerked up to see Allura, relief coursing through him. “Allura?” He mumbled. 

 

Allura sighed, running a hand through Lance’s short hair. “Good morning, sleepy head. I’m glad you’re awake. Richie really scared us there, and I believe it was Keith who was circling our castle for awhile before leaving at dawn. Would you like to tell me what happened?”

 

Lance shifted, blinking up at Allura before the memories rushed back. “Oh, yeah… The other dragon came back and… He attacked me. Keith defended me though, he dragged me over to Richie from what I can remember…”

 

Allura nodded in thought. “That other dragon is very dangerous… Those wounds almost made your bones visible. It will be awhile before you can use your arms again.” Lance’s eyes widened. “And yes, that means you cannot visit those dragons by yourself again. I forbid it.” The prince huffed but nodded, knowing better than to argue with his sister. 

 

“Can you have Hunk get me some food?” Lance asked quietly, and Allura nodded, getting up and ringing the servants’ bell. 

 

Lance is going to hate staying in bed. He’s going to hate not being able to see Keith even more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a shorter chapter that tells a bit more of the two dragons' past!

Shiro had just returned to his and Keith’s cave, back from a long journey up north. It wasn’t his first, but he hoped to the gods that it was his last. The larger dragon had been born there, his mother being from the north and his father from the east. Only years after he was born though, the Galra had begun their uprising during a dragon festival; there were dragons from different regions that had flocked there, some even brought their newborns with them.

 

Shiro and Keith’s parents were good friends and had stuck together during the firefight that had started between the Galran supporters and the travelling dragons, protecting each others young with their own lives. Shiros mother had gone to get the newborn Keith, who was lying in the arms of his slain mother crying out, when Shiro’s father was tugged into a large crowd; they never saw him again. A Galran supporter looked down upon the mixed dragon and snarled, swiping his claw along the child's face before being tackled by a furious mother. Shiro,  _ to this day _ , never wanted to be on the receiving end of a mother's wrath. 

 

His mother escaped with Shiro and Keith in her arms, her strong wings carrying the trio to the south east, where Keith’s parents were from, as well as Shiros father. They arrived at an abandoned cave near a grand kingdom, and she raised them there until she passed away from sickness. Shiro, sixteen at the time, took it upon himself to raise the ten year old Keith himself, teaching him how to hunt and care for himself, as well as defend himself. Keith was on the small side, even for eastern field dragons, so he taught Keith to not let anyone take advantage of him. 

 

When Shiro was twenty, he decided to make a trek back to the north to see if his own father was still alive. He didn’t return for two years; having been captured by the Galra and becoming their slave. They took one of his wings and decorated his body with many scars before he escaped with the help of other dragons. It took him another six months to trek back, but he made it back to the then sixteen year old Keith. They treated each other like brothers, and had held one another for many hours after. 

 

Another two years passed, and Shiro left a sleeping Keith in the middle of the night, wanting to have a breath of fresh air. His legs carried him far, to the ocean's shore, and he had heard the screams of dragons echoing down the shore. He was lured over to a ship, a Galran ship, he recognized, where he was quickly captured and put through more torture. A fake purple wing was fitted to his stump, and he was forced to kill other beings just to survive. It only took a year to escape this time, again with the help of the other dragons. They fled west, and Shiro found himself  _ very  _ far from home. Another year passed, Shiro trying to locate where the kingdom of the east was, and it was a struggle, because every time a fellow dragon saw the purple wing they backed away, staying as far back as possible. He made it back though around two years later, a bit past midday. Their cave reeked of human, and there were books lying on the ground of their home. Shiro feared that Keith was gone, but relaxed as he saw said dragon bounding towards him, wrapping him in a tight hug. 

 

They cuddled for awhile, Shiro telling him of what he went through. Just as Keith was about to start speaking, a very human voice rang out through the cave, calling for Keith. Shiro growled and launched himself at the intruder without thinking, tearing at his arms. Before he could land a killing blow, Keith was barrelling into him, knocking him over and growling like an animal. They tumbled around and bit one another, before the smaller had hopped away and stood over this  _ human _ like one would protect its mate. Shiro tried going in for another swipe but Keith wouldn’t let him, snarls and hisses coming out of the younger dragon.

 

Shiro backed off eventually, eyeing the human with a mix of anger and distaste. An hour had passed after Keith had taken the human to safety, and the mixed dragon paced through their cave.  _ Why had Keith protected this  _ filthy  _ human? Why was that human there in the first place?  _ Shiro grumbled to himself, sitting near their dwindling fire, waiting for Keith’s return. 

 

It was hours before the young eastern dragon returned, tail between his legs as he came into the cave. Keith knew that Shiro was upset, and he worried for their relationship. Said older dragon didn’t look at Keith when he came in, but motioned for him to sit by the fire, and the younger did so obediently, looking down. His elder cleared his throat, yellow eyes turning to look at the eastern dragon. 

 

“Who is that human? Is… Is he your… your  _ mate _ ?” There was clear disgust as in his voice as he said that, having to hold himself back lest he snarled at the younger. Keith quickly shook his head, a light blush dusting his scaled face. 

 

“N-No! Lance not mate... “ Shiro could practically feel the unspoken  _ yet. _ The elder actually snarled this time, eyes narrowing into slits.    
  


“ _ Keith, _ ” He growled. “You can  _ not _ mate with a human, do you know what they have  _ done? _ They kill us for money! They don’t  _ care  _ about how we  _ feel. _ That human only wants to hurt you, can you not see this?” His deep voice reverberated throughout the cave, and he saw Keith flinch back. 

 

“Lance… Lance not like that… He-He nice…” Keith looked nervous for a moment before an anger started to flare up from inside him. “Lance help me learn!” He growled. “He take care me when you not there!” That obviously struck a nerve within Shiro, one that Keith definitely regretted striking. 

 

“I have taken care of you since you were young,” He snapped, leaning forward a bit. “You are in no position to tell me what this human can and can’t do. Humans have  _ destroyed  _ our homes, our  _ species _ .” Shiro calmed for a moment, sitting back. “What did I do  _ wrong _ -What did I do to make you think that humans were  _ trustworthy? _ ” He said this in a quieter voice, and Keith could tell that he didn’t want to argue any longer. 

 

The younger crawled over with hesitation, leaning on the elders side. “I sorry, Shiro. He very nice. Do not hate him.” He murmured, shifting a bit and trying to thread the words together. “I show you Lance is nice. When he come next, yes?” He looked up and saw hesitation in Shiro’s eyes, knowing of the hatred that the elder carried for humans. Slowly though, his brother nodded, sighing. 

 

“If he tries to hurt you, I  _ will _ kill him,” Shiro says quietly. “I don’t want to lose my only remaining family.”

 

Keith nodded, acknowledging the elder’s warning. Shiro then motioned for the eastern dragon to follow him as he crawled over to their pelts and laid down, smiling as he felt the other curl up next to him. “I miss you,” Keith whispered, eyes falling closed. Shiro closed his own eyes and whispered back,

  
“I missed you too, Keith.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will only be able to update once a day or every other day, but I'll make sure to make them longer! Thank you so much for all of the kudos!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New and extra long chapter! Shout out to my best friend for editing for me!

Staying in bed fucking _sucked._

 

Allura was treating him like his arms had just been cut off and fed to the dragons, when in reality he only had some deep cuts that were stitched and already healing. Hunk had to stay directly outside of his door, and his queen regularly checked in on him, occasionally carrying a doctor in tow. Lance probably already talked Hunks ear off, and three days in he got the question that he was expecting days earlier.

 

Hunk was sitting cross legged on the prince’s bed, playing with his fingers. Lance had just finished a story about how they’d once pranked their Dad with a small catapult that flung mashed potatoes at the King's face. After a moment of silence, Hunks deep yet quiet voice rang throughout the room. “Lance, what happened? To your arms, I mean. The queen won’t tell anyone, and the doctors won’t even acknowledge us…” The prince bit his lower lip, looking down. He wasn’t sure what he was _supposed_ to say to his servant; he couldn’t exactly tell his friend that he got attacked by a _dragon._ Hunk would _never_ let him leave the castle again, and he really didn’t need that kind of negativity in his life.

 

“Well uh… I tripped?” Lance suggested, and Hunk sighed, shaking his head.

 

“Into what, a wolf? No, a bear? Like, I’ve kept myself from questioning you this past week but… Now I’m coming to you as a friend, not a servant.” He leaned forward a little. “What actually happened?” Lance chewed on his lower lip, avoiding eye contact with Hunk.

 

“You’d never believe me anyways. And, if I even told you, you’d never let me leave,” Lance said with a soft pout, letting his long, thin fingers dance on his own thighs.

 

“You can tell me. I can’t exactly stop you, anyways. I am just a servant.”

 

The prince nodded, sighing. “You can’t freak out, or tell _anyone._ Allura would have my head if she found out that I told youl.” After getting a nod of agreement from the other he sighed, clearing his throat. “I’ve been visiting this dragon-”

 

“You _what?!”_ Hunk yelled, eyes widening. Lance shushed him, waiting a second to make sure no one would check in on them.

 

“Like I was saying, I’ve been visiting this dragon. He’s really sweet-”

 

“ _Sweet_ ? Didn’t he _attack you?_ ”

 

“Hunk, I swear on everything holy, just shut up for minute so I can speak.” Hunk quieted down, then motioned for the other to continue. “As I was _saying,_ he’s really sweet, much different than I thought he would be. I’d brought him some books the other night so I could teach him how to read.” Lance smiled fondly at the memory. “But when I came back that night I got hurt, the older dragon, y’know, the big one that everyone talks about, was there and he attacked me. Keith-the other dragon, he defended me and helped me get back to Richie…”

 

Hunk was silent for a moment, looking to be lost in thought. Then, “What the _hell,_ Lance? Why would you even do such a thing? Why were you at the cave in the first place? Dragons aren’t _nice_ creatures; they kill and steal without any regards. Hell, that group up north has been causing _all sorts of problems.”_

 

 _“Don’t compare Keith to the Galra,”_ Lance snapped, light anger boiling up inside of him. “He has been nothing but nice to me, and even saved my _life._ That dragon doesn’t deserve to be bunched in with beasts that he probably doesn’t know of.” Hunk is silent again, shocked at how quickly his prince got angry. Another moment of tense silence passes before Hunk speaks again.

 

“I… suppose you’re right. If he’s so nice to you, he must not know of what’s going on in the north. _But,_ ” He started, giving Lance a stern look. “You absolutely can’t go back by yourself. If something happens, Richie could run off and leave you to die.”

 

“Richie wouldn’t do that,” Lance murmured, nodding in understanding. “But I guess you guys are right. I… I shouldn’t go by myself, as much as I hate the idea. Maybe I’ll take you and Pidge along next time I go,” Lance suggests with a smirk, as Hunk’s face goes pale. The prince’s servant couldn’t exactly say no to him, and that alone has gotten him in _tons_ of trouble.

 

“Wh-What-Y-You can’t take me along to see some _dragons!_ Yeah, I’m sure Pidge would be _ecstatic,_ but I think I’m much better suited for the kitchen.” Lance rolled his eyes.

 

“Come on Hunk, you’re my personal servant. What if something bad happened to me when you weren’t there?” Hunk nods at Lance’s statement, though he would rather not go see dragons that practically stuck his prince in this bed. “Anyways, will you go grab Pidge for me? Tell them to bring a bunch of books about dragons with them; they’re gonna have to read them to me since I still can’t lift anything.”

 

Hunk climbs off the bed and nods, a small frown on his face. “I still don’t want to meet those dragons,” He grumbled, leaving the room with a heavy sigh and he starts off to the library where the scholar would most likely be.

 

\----

 

Twenty minutes later, Pidge was pushing open the door with their back, at least ten thick books residing in their arms. “I brought all of those dragon books for you,” the scholar says softly, walking over to Lance's bed and putting the books down gently, careful with them.

 

“Thanks, shorty,” Lance teases, sitting up a bit more with a small wince. “Would you mind reading a few to me? I can’t exactly lift things with these useless arms.” He hears Pidge sigh before the younger climbed onto the bed, looking at the array of books.

 

“Which one first?” The young scholar asked as they presented two two of the books to the bedridden Prince. “There’s one that tells about the different species of dragon, another three books telling about specific types of dragons, then there's one talking about dragon physiology and-” Before Pidge could ramble on more, Lance stopped them.

 

“Can you read me the one that tells about the different species of dragon?” Pidge nods, picking up a thick book that was leather bound, golden writing decorating the cover. They opened the book, clearing their throat before beginning to speak.

 

“‘Dragon’s have been around as long as mankind has, possibly even before us.” The young Scholar began reciting the text. “Over the many years, us humans have studied the creatures thoroughly, this book is the collection of many studies conducted by explorers from every country.’” Pidge turned the page. “‘First, we start in the north with the most powerful dragons. Where the average height is over seven and a half feet tall and their weights are these beast’s are usually well over three hundred pounds. This is because the creatures bodies needed to adapt to the heavy snows and cold of the region, resulting in thick muscles that are common among the dragons. Fur decorates their body; above their cheekbones and along their shoulders. Most have a long mane that follows down their spine and most of their short tail.’” Pidge shifted a bit on the large bed, probably getting into a more comfortable position before continuing to read. “‘The tails of these beast are shorter than other species, most likely because dragging them in the snow wasn’t ideal. The color scheme of the northern dragons ranges from white to gray, and even purple. The reason for the purple fur is because as many know, southern winter dragons have vibrant purple coloring, and most suspect that some southerners had migrated far north. The southern winter dragons are slightly bigger than those of the north; their average heights measure to be around eight feet and their average weights are around four hundred pounds. These dragons are much more muscular than those of original northern descent.” Lance could notice the golden border of pages as he crained his neck to see the spots of purple, that he assumed were examples of the dragons.

 

“‘Though, through the years, the genes of the southern winter dragons didn't always pass through to all offspring, and it has become rare to see more than a handful of purple dragons in the north.’” Lance made a face, and Pidge paused. “What is it?”

 

“Well… How come there are more of the southern winter dragons in the north now then there was before? Is it just because of the rise of the Galra?” Pidge seemed to think about this for a moment before responding, pushing up their glasses.

 

“Well, the Galra moving up there is a big factor, but also because many of the southern winter dragons started moving north around, maybe thirty years ago?” Lance made another, unimpressed face. Pidge was totally guessing here. At least he felt like they were. “The book says it was because there was less ice for them to live on since their country was so small and the population was growing too large, so the dragons moved north where the atmosphere was still cold and they had more room to live. Many of the southern winter dragons already had some of the Galra ideals in their heads, so it was easy for Zarkon to group them together and start an uprising.” Pidge gave Lance a moment to think about this, pushing their thin glasses up a bit with their index finger. The scholar did tend to continue speaking without giving the receiving party a moment to respond.

 

“So… Basically, the Galra are in the north because of overpopulation issues?” Lance asked, fingers gently twitching.

 

Pidge shrugged. “I mean, if you want to look at it that way, you’re not wrong. But the southern winter dragons had already believed that they were superior, since, well, they _are_. In every way and form. Anyways, do you want me to continue?” Lance nods, leaning forward a bit as he was absorbed into what his scholar was reading to him.

 

Pidge cleared their throat, then began speaking again after flipping the page. “‘Now, the dragons of the east were harder to observe due to their sneaky nature, but after many years it was done. There are two different types of eastern dragons. There are the field dwelling ones, which tend to be smaller and thinner, but had strong legs that can carry them far and remain in crouched positions for long periods of time. These dragons tend to lean on the side of theft and looting, due to their small size. The other type of eastern dragons are cave dwelling eastern dragons. Their upper bodies are usually stronger from lifting rocks out of the way, and their wings tend to be quite small since they don’t use them nearly as often as the field dwellers.’” Pidge stopped when he saw that Lance seemed to be itching to ask a question. “Yes, Lance?”

 

“So like, how did the two different species get separated like that? They must have been the same at one point, right?” Pidge nodded in response.

 

“Eastern dragons prefer to stay in groups rather than being alone, and a few hundred years ago there was a big fight between leaders of clans or something, and they drove one another away, one group into the caves, and the others into the fields. Their differences were resolved years later, but they stuck to their areas and now there are technically two types.” After a minute of waiting for Lance to get all of that, Pidge continued reading. “‘Both of these dragons average around five feet and seven inches tall, and often weigh close to one hundred and thirty pounds. The color of their scales can be almost any color except white, and it seems that red is the most popular color of scales, while brown was the least common among them.’”

 

Lance thought of Keith as Pidge read this part. Maybe Keith was a Eastern field dragon? That would explain the height and weight of the other, and even the color.

 

“‘Eastern dragons have traveled a lot, and are found in most countries except the ones with extreme cold, since their scales do little to protect them from the cold environments.” Pidge continued the topic, speaking to Lance directly, turning to him. “They’re common in almost all countries, like the dragons around here, they’re probably some sort of eastern…” Pidge’s voice died down, eying Lance’s bandaged arms. “Your arms… You… Got attacked by a dragon, didn’t you…” They mumbled, and the prince nodded.

 

Lance wasn't quite sure how to respond or explain the situation. But he told himself he couldn't lie to Pidge like he did Hunk. “Yeah…” the prince started. “I… I was visiting this dragon that I’ve grown fond of and there was another dragon there; Pidge, what does it mean if a dragon protected me from another dragon?” Pidge hummed in quiet thought before putting their current book down and picking up another, flipping through its older pages.

 

“Well, according to here, dragon’s only really protect their mates and children from other dragons so… I suppose that means that the dragon is really fond of you?” Lance groaned at the scholar’s suggestion, letting his eyes fall shut. “Well, Lance, I suppose you better figure this out. I don’t want little dragon babies ruining my quiet workspace,” Pidge joked quietly, climbing off of the prince’s bed.

 

His eyes shot open wide as he stared at Pidge. “Wh-What-No! Why would you even-?”

 

“Lance, whoever that dragon is, you are absolutely _smitten_ with it. I honestly don’t care, as long as it keeps its nose out of my business.” Pidge gathered up the library books. “And next time, just tell me what happened. I’m not Hunk, I won’t baby you to the end of the earth. I’ll poke you to make sure our prince is still alive then go back to my own business.” With that, Pidge dismissed themselves, and left Lance staring at the door, mouth gaping.

 

Well, he supposed that was one way to tell them.

 

\-----

 

Lance was getting impatient with just sitting in his bed all day save for the few precious moments that he was allowed up to go to the bathroom. It had been a week since he last saw Keith and craved his presence, and after another ten minutes of sitting in his bed, he made up his mind. Lance was going to get Pidge and Hunk to go with him to the dragon’s cave. He waited until Hunk came in with his dinner, which wasn’t very long, thanking him softly as the warm plate was set on his lap. The prince could eat by himself now, but always kept a servant at his side just in case.

 

He took a few bites of the mashed potatoes Hunk had made him before clearing his throat. “Hey, Hunk? Do you remember what I said about visiting the dragon’s cave?” Hunks face paled, and he nodded, frowning.

 

“Well, yeah, but are you seriously considering going? You can barely lift a plate, how do you expect to go visit a dragon? You can’t even get on Richie.” Lance nodded at this.

 

“Well, that’s why you and Pidge are gonna go with me.” Hunk spluttered, nearly choking on his own spit. “And you can’t say no, because I said so.”

 

Oh, Hunk _despised_ Lance for his power sometimes. “I swear to everything holy Lance, you’re going to get us killed someday.” The prince laughed softly, nodding.

 

“I know. Can you go tell Pidge? We’re leaving tonight.” That caused Hunk to splutter even more, nodding and rushing out of the room.

 

\----

 

Right as night fell, the trio left the castle. Hunk had easily lifted Lance onto Richie, and tied Richie’s reigns to Hunks own Clydesdale’s. Pidge rode on a smaller horse, one that Lance couldn’t recall the breed of. The group travelled at an even pace, and the prince loved the feeling of the wind through his short hair.

 

They arrived not too long later, and Hunk lifted him off of Richie, setting him down gently. “Okay, uh, how about you go first?” Hunk suggested, rubbing one of his arms. Lance laughed softly.

 

“Okay, you big baby.” He walked across the familiar dry grass, stepping near the cave and clearing his throat. “Uhm, Keith? You there buddy?” Quickly, the prince discovered that the small dragon was there, as he dashed towards Lance with a grin. Lance found himself wrapped in a tight embrace, a head of black hair nuzzling into his chest. “Hi to you too,” He laughed.

 

Keith looked up at him happily. “Lance is back! Is your arms okay?” Keith was then inspecting Lance’s neatly wrapped arms. The prince could tell that his dragon friend had been practicing his spoken English, though still needed some work on his grammar. Lance nodded at the other’s question, smiling.

 

“For the most part. I can’t lift my arms up very far, and I can barely pick anything up. But they no longer hurt, if that’s what you meant.” Keith nods as the human explains the situation and beckons him over to their pelts. “Ah wait, one moment Keith. My sister didn’t want me to be alone, so I brought some ah, friends.” He looked back at the two, and Pidge was the first one to start walking forward. The red dragons ears folded down a bit, eyes narrowing.

 

“Will hurt me and Shiro?” He asked, grabbing onto Lance’s shirt.

 

“No, they won’t. Pidge is the short one, and they just wants to know about dragons. Hunk, the big one, who is still cowering like a baby, is just my friend. He’s kind of scared.”

 

“He should be,” Spoke a deeper voice, and without turning around Lance could tell it was Shiro. He turned around anyways, and was finally able to fully see his features. He wasn’t as pretty as Keith, and had a mix of white fur and black scales dotting his face. He had horns of his own, black ones that came from a head of short, trimmed hair. A purple wing made of cloth and what seemed like clockwork resided next to a gray one, and Lance was pretty intimidated. Keith stood in front of Lance protectively again, looking at Shiro.

 

“They friends, Shiro,” Keith said softly. Shiro nodded, but bristled as the smaller human walked right into their cave and towards the elder dragon. He growled at the human, yellow eyes on narrowing. Said human stopped for a moment, holding a hand out. There wasn’t a look of fear on his face, and once Shiro had stopped growling, there was a hand reaching up and petting his hair. After a moment of this, the elder relaxed and leaned down, purring softly at the treatment.

 

Lance and Keith looked on, bewildered. Pidge cleared their throat. “He looked like one of the northern dragons; they love to be pet,” they said, then smiled and continued to pet Shiro, who now seemed like a giant cuddly cat instead of a dangerous dragon.

 

Lance sat near the pelts and let Keith curl up next to his side, petting the others head absentmindedly. He looked at Hunk, who was at the mouth of the cave still looking petrified. “Hunk, buddy, you can come in. They’re not going to hurt you.” Hunk gawked at him, eyebrows furrowing.

 

“Uh, Lance, sorry to burst your bubble here but do you not realize that we are standing in the _den_ of _monsters_ that have _killed_ our strongest knights?” Keith, who was previously purring, stopped the vibrations and Lance bit his lip. Shiro was still thoroughly enjoying his petting, but still looked over at the larger human. “They could turn on us at any moment!”

 

Lance huffed, continuing to pet Keith’s soft head of hair. “Hunk, stop. If they were going to attack us, they already would have, and besides, they look too comfy to get up right now.” It was true, both dragons were laying on the ground with hands caressing their hair. Keith started purring again, yellow eyes closing.

 

Hunk still wasn’t convinced that this was safe, so he sat at the edge of the cave, leaning against the wall. “Whatever, my prince, I’ll just stay out here. Just in case.” Lance almost didn’t hear him, but sighed softly at Hunk’s worry. He knew he just wanted to keep the three of them safe, apparently he didn’t see how relaxed the two dragons were, and the lack of killing going on.

  
Lance soon just stopped thinking about it, and he laid carefully on his back to get himself more comfortable. A few moments later, Keith was by his side, laying his head on the prince’s chest. Lance let a hand rest on Keith’s back, and let the others purring lull him to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to my beta reader!!!!!!!! They're amazing!!

Lance woke early in the morning, wet eyes blinking open slowly. He looked down at Keith, who was still snuggled up on his chest, and let the comfort of the boy calm him. It had been a very long time since he had dreamt of his father. Even thinking of him was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

 

It had been seven years since he saw his king’s smiling face and heard that laugh that could fill an entire room. Seven years since he sat at the right side of his father at the dinner table. Seven long, long years have passed since the great King of Altea mentored his son and daughter, and kissed their foreheads goodnight. 

 

Lance tried hard to forget that day, but it always came back to haunt him right as he was starting to feel better. It had started off like a normal day, like all things did. Twelve, nearly thirteen year old Lance had been woken by Hunk’s mother, who was their family maid until she had passed later that evening. He had been dressed by the same woman, and taken down to the dining hall, where his father and sister were already waiting. His sister was sixteen at the time, nearly seventeen, and was still as beautiful as she was now. 

 

They did not share the same mother; Allura’s mother had been the first to wed king Alfor, and had died when Allura was young due to illness. Lance’s mother married the king six years later, and on after Lance was born she had disappeared after he was old enough to eat solid food, and the prince wished dearly that she had stayed. King Alfor was lonely without someone at his side, but took great pleasure in spending time with his children, even just eating breakfast with them seemed to satisfy him. The man was all bright smiles and happy auras at all times of the day, and the castle’s staff could definitely feel it. 

 

Oh, how Lance missed that happy aura that floated around the castle. Of course, the staff and royalty were plenty happy now, but nothing was the same after their loss. 

 

The problems started around midday, after lunch had been eaten and the King was tutoring his children in the library. Coran, who was the King’s advisor at the time, burst into the library, briskly walking towards the king. “Sire,” He murmured urgently. “There is a great matter that you must attend to immediately.” Alfor had made up the policy that all of the staff knew; if there was great trouble, then his children should be left out of it. The king nodded and stood from where he was sitting with his children, telling them that they should keep studying while he was absent. The two younger didn’t think much of it, nodding and continuing to read along in their own books as the two older men walked out of the library, talking in hushed voices.

 

“There is a eastern dragon attacking our stables. She is quite young still, but still quite dangerous. I have dispatched several of our finest knights, but they weren’t a match for her.” Coran stated, walking alongside the king. Said king nodded, heading for the stairs and out into the yard, drawing out the rapier that always rested at his hip. Alfor had trained alongside the military for many years, and that reason was one of many of why he was loved by his country. He personally trained each of those who wanted to learn the ways of dragon slaying, even though most of the time their skills were unused during their lifetimes. It was always better to be prepared for anything rather than nothing.

 

The dragon that had been feasting on one of their pigs was an eastern field dragon, by the looks of it. There were delicate blue scales decorating the highlights of her body, and creamy white skin where there were no scales, and two large wings that happened to be a few shades darker than her scales protruded from her back. Brown hair fell lightly onto her shoulders, and if it weren’t for the pig blood decorating her hands and face, she would have been considered beautiful. 

 

King Alfor approached slowly from behind, not even wincing at the sound of the wild dragon feasting on the animal. A few feet away, the king was close enough to land a single, killing blow, and that’s what he intended to do. Before his body could push forward though, the female dragon turned and lunged at him. Thankfully, Alfor dodged the attack and swiped his sword at her, nicking her side with its sharpened tip. 

 

The two played this game of hopping back and forth; she would launch herself at him, and he would dodge, leaving a small cut upon her body with each passing. The female dragon had only inflicted a single scratch on the king; a shallow cut on his left forearm. He didn’t think anything of it; he couldn’t afford to think of anything other than slaying this dragon.    
  


Staff surrounded the two, a few trained knights standing to the side until their king showed any sign of needing help. The help was needed a few moments later, when his foot slid as he dodged, and the dragon’s claws left deep cuts on his right side. The king fell with a shout, and within moments the knights were upon the dragon, corralling her away where they could fight her without being in a crowded area. Coran came to his side quickly, calling for their doctor. 

 

Without pulling his hand from his bleeding side, Alfor stood up with his advisor and let himself be rushed to the infirmary, hoping that his children didn’t see him in this state. Thankfully, the two were still studying in the library with a maid as the king trailed blood down the hall towards doctors that were already waiting for him. 

 

\----

 

A few hours later, he lay in bed awake, sitting with his children. Allura had initially cried when she had found out, as did Lance, but were soon soothed by their fathers small cuddles. Their father told them one of his many stories that he’d taken from his travels, one from how he and his knights had saved a baby from a dragon. 

 

They all ate in the King's luxurious bed that evening, keeping their small family together. As night fell, the children retired to their own rooms with a kiss goodnight, not knowing that it would be their last words that their father would hear from them. 

 

Someone had entered the King's room that night-no one knew who it had been, and the only evidence left was the knife in the King's head and a small note on his bedside. It read: ‘  _ Down with the dragon, the king stated. Down with the dragon, he said. Down with the king I say, down with the king. _ ‘ 

 

Lance had never seen the body, but Allura was the first to see the corpse in the household, and the could still sometimes hear the scream that had echoed into his quiet room. It still haunted him. The King’s funeral happened to be on a rainy day, like all deaths, and he was buried amongst a coffin of tears and Altean roses in the royal guardian. More Altean roses surrounded their father's grave, and the two would visit it from time to time. The roses were beautiful all year, and a few were brought in during the winter to liven up the castle before they wilted. 

 

The Altean prince returned to the present, where Keith was shifting softly on his chest. The dragon blinked his eyes open, and turned his tired yellow eyes on the human he rested on. A lazy smile found its way on to his lips, canines somehow looking not as dangerous as they did the first night they had met. “Hey Keith,” He murmured, wishing he could bring his hand up enough to comb through those silky black locks. “Did you sleep well?” Keith nodded, lazy smile widening. 

 

“Sleep well when Lance here,” He murmured, yawning cutely. Lance would’ve fainted if he weren’t already on the ground; this boy was just too cute. Keith slid up some more until his neck rested in the crook of the prince's, causing a dark blush to rise along the humans high cheekbones. Within minutes, Keith was asleep again, one arm across his chest and the rest of his body curled up to Lance. 

 

Said boy, or man rather, couldn’t fall back asleep now; he was too busy relishing in the feeling of the smooth hair under his chin and the weirdly soft scales that rested on his chest. After what had to have been at least a half hour, Lance heard stirring from the other side of the cave, and saw lazy, slitted eyes looking over at the two. He blushed even darker, looking Shiro right in the eye. Soon though, the large dragon was softly growling, walking over to his brother and the human he had sprawled upon. 

 

“What have you done, human?” He spat, thin pupils narrowing even further than Lance thought possible. “My brother would  _ never _ lay with a human,” He growled, and Lance lit up like a fire on a dark night. 

 

“W-We didn’t-We didn’t do  _ that, oh my heavens.  _ He-He just slept on me!” His voice wasn’t too loud, hopefully, as he didn’t want to wake the other. Shiro simply chuckled dryly. 

 

“I must have forgotten; human traditions are different. Dragon kind do not use that word for mating. Laying with one another is like…” He searched for the word within his mind, biting his lip for a moment before nodding to himself. “Cuddling closely, yes? Unless kin, we do not share our sleeping space with others. It is similar to ah… dating, I believe?” Shiro blinked in thought, and Lance couldn’t get any redder. 

 

“W-With another man? Th-That’s ludicrous!” In the kingdom of Altea, homosexuality wasn’t illegal, per say, but if one man happened to lay with another man, then the two might as well be banished from the town. Most citizens frowned upon it, and will stop trading with the men, forcing them out of the city. 

 

“A male laying with another male is no crime in dragon kind, we do not believe in this silly man you call God.” As Shiro spoke, Keith’s body chose that moment to awaken, a loud yawn emerging from the younger dragon. “Ah, you’re awake, brother.”

 

Keith looked up at Shiro from his spot against Lance’s side and his eyes narrowed as his mind woke as well. “Shiro, what you doing?” He asked quietly, not wanting to wake the other two humans in the cave.

 

“Did you tell your human what sleeping together meant to our kind?” Shiro asked swiftly, ear flicking. “He seems quite confused.” Keith turned a shade of red that could rival his own scales, pointed ears shifting down. 

 

“I… I did not…” Keith mumbled, and Lance nearly died, right there on the cave floor.

 

Here he was, with a  _ dragon  _ whom he was also apparently  _ dating  _ and also happened to be another  _ man.  _

  
_Oh heavens that resided above,_ _let Allura be in a good mood when he arrived home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that this chapter is so short!! I promise to make the next one longer. I got stuck in a bit of writers block there. Also, if you have any questions or comments, or just wanna talk to me personally, hmu @Zaynewrites on twitter!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly thank you all for the Kudos!! I never thought that I would get more than twenty kudos on this!! Also, checkout this absolutely amazing dragon Keith that someone drew!! Thank you everyone and enjoy!!
> 
> https://twitter.com/tbvhysmn/status/776797774771650560

Lance shifted and Keith got up, helping the other sit up. The prince stared at Keith, taking in the nervous air that the other gave off; his ears were folded down, his eyes cast in the same direction. He also noticed that the dragon was fidgeting quite a bit, and made a mental note of what he looked like when this particular emotion devoured him. “Keith…” Lance murmured, trying to make eye contact by leaning forward. “Do… do you really feel that way about me?” A small nod is what he got in return. 

 

“Yes, I like Lance how one like mate. You…” He took a moment before speaking again, searching for the correct words. “You nice to Shiro ah’ me, you care for me like mate. You-You lay with me like mate…” Keith blushed darkly, looking up into Lance’s light blue eyes. “I want to be mate with you.” 

 

Lance blinked at the other, an equally dark blush decorating his own face. It wasn’t like he didn’t like Keith, because he  _ did _ , but being with another man, let alone a  _ dragon _ ? Homosexuality was worse than laying with a dragon in his kingdom; and he did not know what would entail if he were to happen to do both. His sister would be made to look like a fool for having such an idiotic and repulsive brother, and Lance would probably be shunned, even by the maids and helpers around the castle. And,  _ oh gods _ , what would his father think? Alfor wasn’t totally against two men lying together, but a human and a  _ dragon _ lying together, both who are male? Lance was certain that their father would have shunned him as well. 

 

The  prince needed some more time to go over this, and not around Keith’s gorgeous face either, so he started to get up, using his legs to easily stand. “Keith-Keith I need to think about this,” He stated, and the shorter reached for him. “Alone.” Scaled arms immediately drew back, and the owner looked at Lance like the human had just stabbed him. The prince hated that look, and only wanted to cuddle it away with the dragon, but shook his head and started walking out, waking up Pidge and Hunk on the way out. 

 

Pidge woke and pet Shiro tiredly for a few moments before leaving the cave, Hunk trailing behind them. The bigger man stretched his arms up, easily finding the sullen look on his prince’s face. “Lance?” He questioned, lifting the other onto Richie. “You look upset, did something happen?” The prince smiled softly at the worry and shook his head, opting to lie. 

 

“No… just thinking about father, is all…” He mumbled, sighing softly at Riche trotted alongside Hunk’s horse. His best friend stayed silent at that, letting himself guide them back. He knew to never press the prince when he thought like this. 

 

Once the trio got back, Lance went to his father's grave instead of to Allura like usual. Everyone left him alone when he sat amongst the roses, and as he touched the worn gravestone, a few gentle tears rolled down his cheeks. He really missed his father, especially at times like this. Just over a week ago, all he had to worry about was being sure not to miss his study sessions and to make sure to train at least once a day. Now, there was an impending war between the Galra and his home country, a dragon who just told him that he wanted to be Lance’s mate, and on top of that, he couldn’t go to Allura, because she had her own heavy weights on her shoulders. Right now, he had no one to go to. The prince doubted that Hunk would understand, Pidge would just give him a weird therapy session, and Coran wouldn’t be of any help due to his personality. All he had was himself, and his father’s grave. 

 

“I miss you dad,” He murmured into the early morning air. “You should see Allura, she’s been such a great Queen. She’s really pretty too. I-I know you’d wanted to s-see her grow up,” His voice faltered as heavier tears fell near the roses, the prince making a small sobbing sound. It was a few minutes of this before he could calm himself enough to speak. “I-I don’t know w-what to do… There’s a dragon who… He asked me to be his mate… I just…” He sniffed. “I know you hate dragons. I-I didn’t say a-anything to h-him yet. I wanted to talk to you first,” He whispered, index finger gingerly brushing over the ‘A’ on the headstone. “I know you want me t-to follow my heart… If I did so… then it would put Allura in a bad position… She… She doesn’t deserve that…”

 

He stopped talking, crystal tears still rolling down his tanned cheeks. His hand turned to a rose that was wilting, caressing the browning petals with small sniffle. “I’m scared, Father,” He sighed, sky blue eyes closing. “I know that you would support me, though. And I’m grateful of that. Thank you.” Lance said this in a whisper, even if the garden was empty. He remained next to his father's grave for quite awhile, eventually just catching up with the man in the ground. 

 

“Pidge, my scholar, is so mean sometimes. They’ll make me re-write a single word a  _ hundred _ times, it’s so unfair. And Hunk, you remember him, right? His mom died the same day, she had a heart attack. She’s buried somewhere around here… Anyways, Hunk is so nice even when I’m a complete jerk to him.” Tears welled up in his eyes. “You’d like my friends. Even Keith, the dragon. He’s the sweetest thing that I’ve ever met, and has this hair that’s like… Like what I imagine Mother’s hair would feel like. Soft and silky, even if he doesn’t bathe. He doesn’t smell either, which is nice…” Even as the tears started falling, a smile remained on his face. “I know you want me to follow my heart, so I will. I… I’ll be Keith’s mate. It’s… It’s gonna be hard… But I think this is what my destiny has in line for me. Just as it did you.” His voice hiccuped, and his lip wobbled, trying not to sob. “I really miss you. I can’t wait to see you again. I’ve grown much taller now, I’m taller than Allura. I’m almost taller than Coran, too…” The prince gave into his sobs, leaning over his Father’s grave and his body shook. He hadn’t cried this hard in a long time; he didn’t mind crying here and there, but he hated the sobs that wracked his body like this. 

 

After another ten minutes of crying, Lance calmed down, smiling gently at Alfor’s grave. “I’ll leave you now, okay? I’ll come talk to you later, Father. I love you,” He whispered as he stood, wishing he could actually hear the ‘I love you too, son’ that had echoed in his head, just a faint memory that he feared would fade too soon. Lance composed himself and left the rose’s behind, heading back inside of the castle. He went to his sister’s room, knocking softly on the wood door before opening it, revealing the woman sprawled out in her bed, asleep. Books surrounded her, and she was still in her day clothes. He shook his head with a fond smile and closed the door softly, heading up to his own room. Getting a few hours of sleep in his bed wouldn’t hurt; that cave ground was really uncomfortable sometimes. 

 

He carefully laid in bed, making sure not to jostle his arms too much, then let himself drift off into a peaceful sleep, something that he definitely needed. 

 

\---

 

When Lance woke, he decided that not only breakfast, but a bath was also in order. He rang for Hunk, quietly asking him to run a bath while the prince ate. His servant nodded, not mentioning the red rims that remained around the prince’s eyes. Said prince walked down to the dining hall, quietly eating his breakfast. He could tell Allura had already eaten, if the lack of grapes was anything to go off of. She loved grapes. 

 

After he polished off his plate of bread and blueberries, he went to the bathing chambers, where Hunk was just pouring the last bucket of hot water into their tub. “All yours,” Hunk said, patting Lance’s shoulder gently then leaving the room, closing the door. There was a long window that ran along the top edge of the west wall that let sunlight in, as well as a few candles resting among the walls. Lance stripped down carefully, making sure that his arms weren’t jostled, then stepped into the tub, shivering at the warmth then relaxing as it soaked into his sore muscles. He seriously deserved a long bath, something to relieve all of the stressed piled onto his shoulders lately. 

 

\---- 

 

It was an hour later when he had emerged and dressed in new clothing, now walking to the library where Allura most likely was. She spent an awful amount of time in that room, and Lance was sure that soon she would just turn into Pidge. 

 

As he walked in, his fears were confirmed. There was a large book pile around her, dark bags under her eyes and that gorgeous white hair pulled back into a messy bun. She looked up as she saw her younger brother, smiling softly at him and standing, going over to hug him close. “Hey Lance,” She murmured. “Sorry I haven’t been around lately, this war has… gotten more difficult and frustrating than ever.”

 

“Care to tell me why?” He questioned as she let go, and the queen nodded. 

 

“Of course.” She led him to her pile of books, where a map laid on the ground. Allura kneeled and pointed at where the Galra originally started. “Here is where the group first began, and now,” She traced the outline of the northern-most countries, and one eastern country. “This is their territory. Their power is growing immensely now, with human’s joining their side.” She shook her head, sitting back on her heels. “This is just… so ridiculous. I’ve already contacted all of the western countries, and they have agreed to help fight in the war. I just... “ She sighed, standing again and looking up at Lance. “Let’s instead talk about that Keith. How was last night?”

 

The prince blushed darkly, and Allura laughed. “Did you finally tell him how you feel? It’s so painfully obvious.”

 

“Well uh, he asked me to be his mate, and I kind’ve just… left. I went and talked to Dad about it,” There was a small flash of sadness in his sister’s eyes. “Since I didn’t want to put anyone in a bad situation, but I think we can make it work. We can like… Hide Keith in the castle. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind… You won’t mind, right?” 

 

Allura smiled and shook her head. “You may keep him here, but please,  _ please, _ make sure that none of the commoners find out. There would be a real mess on our hands if they knew.” Lance smiled brightly and nodded, light blue eyes sparkling with happiness. 

 

“Thank you sister!” He cheered, kissing Allura’s head before walking out, searching for Hunk. After finding him, he told him the news. Hunk wasn’t too happy. 

 

“His _ mate? _ And he’s going to live  _ here? _ Do you not realize how bad of an idea that is, Lance? I don’t think that you-” Lance cut him off. 

 

“It doesn’t matter; Keith won’t hurt anyone. Now, you’ve got to come with me to help me on and off of Richie.” Hunk sighed and nodded, saddling up their horses in the midday sun. The two were dashing off in no longer than twenty minutes, and in another ten they arrived at the cave. Hunk, again, helped him off watched as the other quickly walked to the cave. 

 

Lance smiled as he entered the cave, seeing the two dragons leaning on one another. Shiro was the first to open his eyes, then nudged Keith so that his eyes opened. The red dragon shot up and raced over to Lance, hugging him tightly. “I miss you,” He murmured, and the smile stayed on the prince’s face. 

 

“Hey, Keith?” He spoke, watching the other look up. “I have an answer to what you said earlier. Yes, I’ll be your mate.” The dragon’s face lit up, a grin decorating that cute face of his. Keith hugged Lance closer, letting off a soft purr. 

 

“Thank you, Lance,” He mumbled into the other’s chest. Shiro was standing, eyeing the two with suspicious curiosity. The elder stepped closer, and apparently Keith didn’t like that, turning around and spreading his wings a little, appearing to protect Lance. “Do not hurt,” He hissed softly. Shiro shook his head and looked past Keith, right into Lance’s eyes. 

 

“Don’t hurt my brother,” He said softly. “I do not approve of him being mates with a human, but that is his choice. Take care of him,” Shiro murmured, knowing that Keith would most likely go back to the castle with Lance. Keith lowered his wings and slowly walked over to Shiro, hugging him tightly. 

 

“I not leave you forever, Shiro. We come see you.” Keith murmured, and Lance nodded behind him, opting not to say anything. After a few minutes, the two parted, and Shiro smiled at Keith. 

 

“Go now, your mate is waiting for you,” Shiro murmured, and Keith nodded, going over to Lance and looking up at him. 

 

“Castle now?” Lance nodded at him, going over to Hunk with Keith in tow. 

 

“We’re ready to go Hunk; Keith can fly there so that no townspeople see him. You’re okay with that, right Keith?” The dragon nodded, watching Lance as he was helped onto Richie. The dragon gingerly took the human's hand and kissed it softly, gorgeous eyes closing. 

 

“Until I see you,” Keith murmured, then parted, smiling at Lance before taking off into the sky. Hunk and Lance followed on their horses, keeping at an even trot. Lance smiled the whole way there, a blush residing on his cheeks. He looked up at Keith-no, his  _ mate- _ as he flew through the clouds, powerful red wings propelling him through the sky. 

 

Lance was head-over-heels in love with this dragon, and there was no doubt that it was as obvious as Allura had said. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter!!! Thank you all so much for the Kudos and Hits!!!! You have no idea on how happy it all makes me. Please leave any feedback and anything you guys would like to see in future chapters!

Keith had arrived at the castle before them, which was a horrible idea. There were several knights around them, a terrified red dragon cowering in a corner. Lance was quick to shout them away, jumping off Richie and stumbling a bit before dashing over to Keith, standing protectively in front of him. “Do  _ not  _ touch him. He isn’t to be harmed.” The knight’s backed off, uncertainty in their eyes as they stared at the dragon behind their Prince, whom was still cowering in the corner. 

 

After a moment, Lance turned around, kneeling down looking Keith in the eye. “Are you okay?” He asked softly, wishing his arms were better already so he could hold Keith’s face. “Did they hurt you?”

 

The dragon shook his head, forehead pressing gently into Lance’s shoulder. “I scared. They don’t like me,” He whispered, slitted eyes closed. After a brief moment of thought, the human kissed the side of his mate’s head, shushing him. 

 

“They’ll like you, I promise. Just stay by my side, and no one will hurt you.” Keith nods, standing with Lance and gingerly laced his fingers with the others, careful not to put much pressure on the human. Said human smiled down at him, then looked up with a face full of determination.    
  


“As I said, do not harm him. He… We are engaged,” He said, since technically it was true. A few of the knights couldn’t hold in their gasps, but kept quiet after that since they were sworn to never speak of what occurs at the castle. Lance then lead Keith away, Hunk following with a small frown. They pushed through the kitchen doors, where luckily the kitchen was empty. They crossed the area and pushed through another set of wooden doors, amazement on Keith’s face. 

 

“You live here?” 

 

Lance nodded, smiling softly at his mate. “Yes, and now you live here too. We can explore as much as you want, just make sure that I am by your side when you do.” Keith nods happily, and the human kept his smile as he lead him to the library. As he pushed open the doors, his queen was still surrounded by books. The prince cleared his throat, gesturing to Keith when Allura looked up. The dragon hid a little behind Lance, slitted eyes watching the woman with curiosity and caution.    
  
Allura gasped, scrambling up and quickly making her way over to her brother and well, her new brother, she supposed. “Hello there, Keith!” She said in a very friendly tone, watching as the dragon leaned out from behind Lance a bit. “I’m Allura, Lance’s elder sister and the queen of Altea. I’m quite happy to finally meet you. I hope you enjoy living here.” Lance’s sister was much nicer than other humans, Keith thought to himself, smiling softly at Allura without saying anything. After a moment of awkward silence, the queen cleared her throat and pointed her thumb back at her miniature kingdom of books and papers. “Well, I’ll get back to my work now!” She says, walking back over to her written fortress.

 

Lance then lead Keith out, leading him to his-no,  _ their, _ bedroom with a smile and a faint blush. He wondered if anything would be happening in his bed tonight, then quickly brushed the thought away, opening the door and letting Keith enter first before following and closing the door behind them. “Who room is this?” The dragon asked, looking around the beautifully decorated room. 

 

“Mine, well I mean, I guess ours, now,” He replied, and the dragon gave a large grin, immediately jumping onto the bed and snuggling into the soft sheets. 

 

“Fluff bed!” He exclaimed, giggling softly and cuddling a pillow happily. “Lay with me?” He asked softly, looking up expectantly at his mate. The human nodded, smiling and getting into the bed, laying on his back since his arms were still incredibly sore. Keith immediately laid his head on the others chest, letting off a soft purr as he burrowed under the blankets as well. “Comfy,” He murmured, an arm going around the others waist and a leg wrapping itself around one of Lance’s. 

 

Said prince blushed darkly, smiling at the closeness. “I’m glad, Keith. You deserve the best, no, better than the best,” He mumbled, one hand resting gently on the other’s side. The two laid like that for a bit, enjoying each other’s presence. “Hey Keith?” He murmured softly. “What kinds of things do mates do?” 

 

Keith was silent for a moment, and Lance wondered what he was thinking of. The dragon spoke soon, though, voice quiet. “Well… Mates do everything together… Eat, sleep… Lay together…” Keith shifted softly, and the human realized what he meant, a very dark blush decorating his face. “Mates are one, never leave one another. If one die, the other never find another mate.”

 

Lance frowned at that, petting Keith’s side as he lost himself in his own mind. The prince was a prince after all, and could easily be killed at any time, whether it be from war or from an assassination like his father. Leaving his mate like that would be horrid, and he wondered if this relationship was actually a good idea. Though as he looked down at said mate, clawed fingers gently holding his shirt and fanged mouth drawn into a light pout, he knew that fate brought them together, and nothing could change that. They were meant for eachother.

 

“I’m okay with all of that,” Lance murmured, sitting up with Keith still leaning on him. The dragon took his weight off of the other, looking up at the human with curiosity. “I just want you to know that, since I am a prince, I could die at any time. You’re sure you’re willing to go through that, if I die?” Keith nods immediately, bright yellow eyes looking up at him. 

 

“Yes. You are my mate, anything for you.” Lance smiled at the answer, and after a moment of hesitation, he leaned down, pressing his lips to the dragon’s. The kiss was brief, and Lance pulled away sooner than he liked, looking down at his mate, face on fire. Keith was looking up at him with an equally red face, eyes wide before a grin spread across his face and he leaned up, pressing his mouth against the human’s in a sloppy kiss. It was obvious that the two hadn’t kissed anyone before, but it was also just as obvious that neither of them cared. It was another few moments before they parted, and their faces were still centimeters away from each other. They were going to be just fine.

 

\----

 

After their moment, Lance had shown Keith around the room, and where all of his clothes were kept. Keith, of course, would being getting his own clothes soon- after a tailor looked at him of course- but for now he would just wear Lance’s nightgowns until further notice. The human kept his back to the other as the dragon changed, being the gentleman he is. The nightgown hung low on Keith’s shoulders, giving enough room for his wings to peak out, and almost covered his feet, but otherwise wasn’t too bad on the other; it made him especially cute as well. 

 

The prince then decided that a bath was in order, and asked Hunk and another maid to fill up the tub with hot water for Keith. The two quickly got the job done, and Lance left Keith to his own devices in the tub, as he had some other matters to attend to, as well as he wasn’t quite ready to see Keith completely nude. Keith thoroughly enjoyed the bath, even though his wings and tail made quite a mess everytime he moved them. In fact, the dragon actually started purposely splashing after he had washed his hair, giggling softly. He had never been in warm water like this; he always had the river which tended to be cold year round. 

 

Lance opened the door, a towel in his arms. “Keith I brought some-” And then he was hit with a splash of water, partially soaking his shirt and the towels. As he looked around, he saw how much water lay puddled on the stone floor. An annoyed look crossed his face, since his clothes were wet, and the towels were wet as well. He looked up at Keith, narrowing his eyes slightly. Said dragon stopped playing in the water, a confused look crossing his face. 

 

“Lance?” He questioned, holding onto the edge of the tub. “What wrong?” The pure innocence on Keith’s face was enough to get rid of the annoyed air around Lance, and the human shook his head, smiling softly. 

 

“No Keith, nothing’s wrong. Just, next time, don’t splash so much okay? Other people have to clean up after us, so we don’t want to trouble them.” Keith nodded, ears perking back up. “Anyways, come on and get out and dry yourself off so we can get you dressed again and we can go study in the library.” Keith nods and climbs out of the tub, not bothering to cover himself as he grabbed a towel and started dabbing the water off of himself. Lance kept his eyes away from the other, a dark blush decorating his face again. He busied himself with grabbing the nightgown that was designated as Keith’s, handing it to him once the other declared that he was dry. 

 

The two walked out of the bathing room, Keith clinging to Lance’s side again. Said human smiled softly at his mate, glancing at the wet mop of black hair atop the dragon's head. “Hey, let’s go comb your hair before we study,” He suggested, and the other nodded, following him upstairs and back into Lance’s room. There, he had Keith sit on the floor in front the bed, where Lance perched himself on the bed above him and started to gingerly run the wooden comb through his mate’s hair. “Your hair is even softer,” Lance cooed mostly to himself, but of course Keith heard it, and a smile crossed the dragon’s face as the comb gently pulled at wet black hair. 

 

Just as they were almost finished, Allura plowed into his room, crystal tears messing up her pretty, tanned face. “Lance! I-I they’re almos-I don’t-they’re coming-” Lance recognized this as one of his sister’s breakdowns, and immediately moved away from Keith, dropping the comb on the floor and rushing to pull his sister into a hug. Cries shook his queen's body as she clung to him, and could only bury his face in the woman’s hair and gently rock her until she calmed down. Keith was insanely confused, and climbed onto the bed, cuddling into the pillows until the two were done. He understood that this was Lance and Allura's thing, and didn’t want to interrupt. 

 

It was a good ten minutes before Allura stopped crying, and Lance had stayed with her the entire time. She pulled away from him, wiping her eyes. “Sorry…” She whispered, and Lance shook his head, pressing his forehead to hers. Keith felt a little twinge of jealousy, even though the dragon knew that he shouldn’t have. Allura was Lance’s kin; they had a right to be close. 

 

“Wanna tell me what’s going on?” Lance asked, blue eyes looking into equally blue eyes. She nodded, sniffing softly. 

 

“The Galra are getting closer to our border; We will have no choice but to send out our inexperienced soldiers in a few weeks. We cannot lose this kingdom to-to those monstrous  _ dragons. _ ” Keith flinched softly as the queen said this, knowing that she probably despised dragons as most humans did.  

 

Lance bit his lip, sighing softly. “Well, I suppose we’re going to have to train them harder; dragon killing-” Keith actually made a soft whimper at that, and the prince remembered that his lover just happened to be a  _ dragon _ . Lance frowned, looking at Allura. “Tell Coran this; he will help you okay? This… We shouldn’t talk about this in front of Keith.” He said quietly, and Allura nodded, parting with another hug before briskly walking out, wiping at her face. 

 

Lance then turned, taking in how Keith was acting. He looked almost frightened, hugging the pillows tighter as his mate looked at him. The human shook his head, getting onto the bed and making his way over to Keith slowly. “Keith, I’m sorry you had to hear that, you know that we’d never hurt you…” His mate frowned softly, holding the pillows impossibly closer.

 

“Why you say then?”

 

“Because,” Lance started, luring Keith away from the pillows and bringing him into this sore arms. “There are dragons from the north that are coming to hurt us, to take over our country. We don’t want them to overthrow us here, and if they did, they will surely kill Allura and I. We don’t want that to happen, so we have knights trained to kill dragons.” He felt Keith stiffen in his arms, and Lance kissed his forehead. “They won’t lay a finger on you, I promise.” He hummed a quiet tune to help calm Keith, and the dragon relaxed into his mate’s chest with a sigh. 

 

After another few minutes of their cuddling, Keith sat up and kissed Lance again, lips moving soft and slow together. The two of them stayed like that for a while, huddled in eachothers arms and enjoying the presence of one another. Lance parted for a brief moment, smiling at Keith. “I’m not going to let  _ anything _ happen to my mate. As long as you live here, you needn’t worry about anyone hurting you now, okay?” Keith nods, and Lance kisses him again, just as soft and slow. 

  
  



	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends!! Thank you all sooooo much for all of the hits and Kudos! I never thought I would get such a positive reaction. Anyhoo, there is some GORE in this chapter, so please be warned! Its marked with *** at the beginning and end for those wishing to skip it.

That night, the two ate in Lance’s room, trying to stay away from the prying eyes of the maids who constantly asked if they needed anything. Hunk had taken their plates back for them, and Lance fell asleep with Keith curled up in his arms. So far, so good.

 

As morning rolled around, Lance woke to knocking at his door and groaned at the knocking, pulling the covers over Keith then telling the morning-ruiner to come in. The ruiner happened to be Allura, who looked like she had just woken up, if her nightgown and messy hair were anything to go by. She eyed Keith and kept her voice low, walking over to Lance. 

 

“Lance,” She whispered urgently. “How many people know about you and Keith?”

 

Lance bit his lip, blinking away the sleep in his eyes. “Uh… I don’t know? There were a lot of knights in t-” Allura swore, and Lance knew that being scared was the best tactic at the moment. 

 

“Lance, there are already rumors!” She said in an almost-normal tone. “What are we going to do?” 

 

The prince shook his head, looking down at Keith who was shifting in his sleep. “I uhm, can we make it sound like some diplomatic thing?” He questioned softly, rubbing Keith’s lower back to keep him asleep. Allura bit her lip, sighing quietly.    
  


“I’m not sure; I’ll talk to Coran about it.” She flicked his forehead, and Lance emitted an overdramatic ‘ow’. “Don’t do things without telling me. We have to get  _ something _ out to the public quick before they start distrusting the castle.” With that, she left, leaving a tired and confused Lance staring at the ceiling. He kept rubbing Keith’s back, and felt a quiet vibration on his chest. 

 

“Sorry, did I wake you?” He murmured to his mate as Keith shifted, shaking his head as he looked up at Lance. 

 

“No. Keep pet, feel nice,” Keith whispered, and the human chuckled and kept up the petting, loving the feeling of the purr that was being emitted from the dragon. They laid like that for awhile, giving Lance time to think about what they were going to tell the public. Each failed thought just made him more nervous, and Keith quickly noticed, sitting up a bit and looking down at his human mate with lazy, slitted eyes that held a dash of concern. “Lance? You okay?” 

 

He smiled, shrugging lightly. “I…” The thought of lying crossed his mind, but he pushed against it. Lying to his lover wasn’t something that he should do. “No. The public found out about us and… And we’ll lose their trust in the castle if we don’t come up with something quickly…” He mumbled, and Keith frowned, resting a clawed hand against Lance’s cheek. The prince leaned into it, liking the feeling of the slightly rough skin against his own smooth face. 

 

“Human not supposed to lie with dragon?”

 

Lance shook his head. “No, they’re not. Human’s aren’t supposed to lay with people of the same sex, either. Like, two males or two females. Human’s believe that it’s wrong,” He murmured, eyes downcast. Just thinking about it made lance think about how messed up he’s made everyone’s lives with his decision. Keith shushed him, moving to rest his rear on the others waist. He leaned down and kissed Lance softly, then buried his face in the other’s neck in an attempt at comfort. 

 

“Humans dumb,” He whispered, cuddling against Lance. “We be okay. We are mates; mates are strong together.” Lance smiled at this, pressing a light kiss to Keith’s messy black locks. 

 

“You’re right, Keith. Thank you,” He murmured, letting his eyes close as they cuddled. It was nice to have someone comfort him like this, to encourage him and support him. He figured, though, that he might need to make another visit to his father’s grave in the next few days; he was already pretty stressed out, and Allura’s stress was slowly enveloping the castle. 

 

An hour passed before the two got up, Keith following Lance downstairs to the breakfast table. Lance showed his mate the designated seating, and he also showed him what was usually for breakfast, and chuckled as Keith devoured the bread happily. The prince also found out that Keith enjoyed strawberries more than any other fruit, and a warm feeling found its way into his stomach as he thought about doing this everyday with him.

 

After breakfast, they were confronted by Allura, who was dressed in a very nice gown. “Lance, Keith, I need you two in the nicest clothing you have. We are going to declare you two engaged in the sense that it will help soothe the relations between humans and dragons. Go now, you have an hour!” She shooed the two confused men away, walking briskly to the library. Lance lead Keith upstairs, biting his lip and thinking about what his mate could wear that looked relatively decent. 

 

Once in his room, the prince had Keith sit on their bed while Lance dug around for his older clothes. There was a white, ruffled long sleeve shirt that hadn’t fit him for a few years, so should fit Keith now. He slid on some black poofy shorts on Keith first, tying the ribbon around the waist tightly to be sure that the large trousers wouldn’t fall. The nightgown was then pulled off, and soon the dragon was wearing Lance’s old shirt, looking very handsome. Keith looked down at himself, smiling softly. “Thank you, Lance,” He grinned, looking at himself in the mirror. 

 

Lance nodded at him, smiling as he got dressed in his nicest outfit; white ruffled undershirt with a blue vest, then tight, white cotton trousers that reached his ankles. He slid on his shoes next, a simple pair of leather boots with blue heels. Keith had watched him get dressed, coming over and kissing his mate softly. “You look nice,” Keith murmured, still centimeters away from Lance’s mouth. They kissed again for a few minutes before parting again, smiling at each other. 

 

A knock startled them out of their reverie, and they parted, Lance opening the door to reveal Coran, who was also dressed in his nicest attire. “Ah, you two are to head to the platform above the courtyard. Most citizens have gathered there already, and Allura is ready to announce your ah, engagement.” 

 

Lance nodded, leading Keith out and sighing softly as the three of the made their way to the large, tiled platform. As soon as the two were visible by the crowd, loud yells of confusion and anger rang out, and Keith hid behind his mate, biting his lip. Allura frowned softly, turning to the crowd and holding her hand out for silence. The courtyard was soon quiet, and the queen cleared her throat, readying her voice. 

 

“Citizens!” She called, making sure to make eye contact. “There are rumors of prince Lance being with a male dragon. This is true,” A low murmur broke out in the crowd, and the queen raised her voice. “But! This is simply for political reasons. The dragons have agreed to cease their attacks on our village if our prince were to engage this male. We agreed, as we are concerned for our kingdom. Please understand this.” There was a moment of silence before people started nodding their heads, only a few people shaking their heads in disagreement but not brave enough to voice it. Allura’s shoulders relaxed and she smiled softly over at Lance, who nervously stepped forward, getting Keith to step forward as well. 

 

“Citizens!” Lance’s voice rang out, loud and clear. “This our new prince, Keith. You are to treat him as royalty, and no harm is to come to him.” With that, he lead Keith away, as the dragon was shivering in fear. Coran closed up the public address, asking politely for everyone to leave, and that the royal family wished their best. The two mates went back to Lance’s room, and the dragon practically ripped off the shirt, burying himself in Lance’s chest.

 

“The humans don’t like me,” Keith mumbled, and Lance simply kissed his head, sighing lightly. 

 

“That doesn’t matter though, because Allura and Coran like you, as well as Pidge and Hunk. And I love you, so what the citizens think doesn’t matter, okay?” Of course, what the citizens thought was very important, but comforting his mate was his first priority right now. Keith looked up, blushing softly and nodding.

 

“I… I love you too, Lance.” The prince grinned, pecking Keith’s forehead before parting, dressing back in his casual clothing.  After he had dressed, he went back to Keith and let himself be hugged by the other. His arms were sadly still healing, so even returning a hug hurt, but it felt more than worth it. They stood like that until they got tired of just standing around, so Lance took him to the library, sitting down with Keith and reading a book with him, keeping an eye on Keith’s wings so that he didn’t accidentally knock anything down.

 

\----

 

They studied until dinner time, where the two actually ate dinner with Allura. The table was mostly silent though, as there wasn’t much to talk about, and no one wanted to dampen the mood with news about any Galran activity. Dinner was simple, just some chicken and carrots, and Keith seemed to enjoy both food items, which was good. Everyone retired to bed afterwards, content with their days and finding it a good time to wind down and let their dreams take them far away from where they were. 

 

Keith and Lance were snuggled up in bed now, falling asleep at around the same time. The peaceful air that had drifted over the castle had brought everyone relief, and every chore was done without complaint that night. Soon though, that peace had to be interrupted, as all moments of peace must.

 

A shadowy figure was roaming the darkening halls, searching for the room that was assigned to the prince and his betrothed. It was easily found, as the figure had studied the castle from the years that they’d worked there as a lowly servant. They opened and closed the door silently, taking careful, quiet steps to the bed. Both seemed to be asleep, which was good for the intruder. A worn, silver dagger was pulled from behind the intruder as they located the prince’s head, readying the blade. It served him right for not only betrothing a dragon, a male one at that.  Their arms went down, expecting the blade to be pushed through a thick skull, but was instead knocked from their hands, and a feminine scream was ripped from her throat as sharp claws sunk into her shoulders and a body pushed her to the ground.

 

*** (Gore Ahead!) 

 

Keith snarled, tearing at the woman who had dared to attempt to hurt his mate. Her screams encouraged his claws, pulling away at her shoulders until the bone was shining with blood. He went for her face next, claws splitting her eyes open and tearing her lips nearly in half. The screams stopped as he felt her heart slow to a stop, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop, tearing at her face until there was only bone and shiny muscle showing. Blood pooled in where her eye sockets were supposed to be, and blood spattered his chest and soaked his arms. When he finished, her facial muscles were torn apart, leaving white slimmers of bone showing. Keith felt no pity for the dead woman.

 

***

 

Lance awoke to a woman screaming, and was immediately reminded of the morning his father had died, of his sister’s brutal screams that still played in his head. Now though, in the dim lighting from the moon, he could see Keith tearing apart a screaming woman. Lance’s breathing picked up and he scrambled back, hitting the headboard, watching as his mate continued to attack the woman who had stopped screaming by now. “K-Keith?” His voice wavered in fear, and the prince scrambled back when he saw Keith standing up, blood decorating his body. 

 

Keith’s slitted eyes immediately softened when he saw his mate, safe because of him, though noticed the fear in his face. “Lance… It okay…” He crawled onto the bed towards Lance, who shifted back even more. 

 

“S-Stay away!” Lance cried, chest heaving. Allura was bursting into their room moments later followed by a group of knights, panting as she took in the situation. She slowly walked over to where she saw a splatter of blood, nearly puking at the sight left behind. She kept her head about it though, noting the dagger that lay near the body. 

 

“Lance,” She said quietly, coming over to where he sat shaking on the bed. “Keith was only protecting you; th-that woman came here to hurt you.” Keith looked like he was about to cry, ears folded back and a mantra playing in his mind.  _ Lance scared of me, Lance scared of me, he hate me.  _

 

Lanced loosened a bit, but still avoided looking at his mate, who was still covered in blood Allura bit her lip, helping her brother out of bed. “Keith, stay here for a moment. I’m going to take Lance to my room.” She did as she said, helping soothe the other’s nerves as she laid him in her own bed, placing a guard at his bedside. She returned with towels and Coran, who took a look at the body and started to investigate who the woman might have been. The queen took Keith to the baths, warming some water and helping the frightened boy wash off the crimson liquid. “Did she come to hurt Lance?” She asked quietly, gently rubbing a bit of the blood off of the dragons sullen face. 

 

He nodded, sniffing. “She going to hurt Lance. I kill her so mate stay safe… Now Lance hate me,” He whispered, a tear rolling down one cheek. Allura shook her head, taking his now clean hands in hers. 

 

“He was just frightened, that’s all… Many year’s ago, he woke up to screaming, when our own father died. Lance has a very tough time around screaming, and if he's woken by one he could be sent into a panic. This isn’t your fault, you were protecting him. And he doesn’t hate you, alright? Visit him in the morning, and everything will be well again. You could help Hunk make him breakfast,” She suggested, smiling warmly at Keith. The dragon nodded, wiping a tear from his face. 

 

“Thank you… I read in library until breakfast?” He asked, and the queen nodded, keeping her smile. Keith got up after making sure that all blood was scraped from his scales, and went to the library, trying to teach himself how to read without his mate there. 

 

Allura, meanwhile, went back to Lance, petting his hair as he tried to rest. “You’re alright,” She murmured, voice warm. “Keith was only protecting you. He didn’t know that such things frightened you, so just relax for now, get some rest.” Lance nodded, sighing and letting himself fall into a deep sleep. Allura joined him in bed, curling up with her brother and falling asleep as well. 

Keith stayed up all night, looking up as a figure approached him just before sunrise. The man looked like the short human that had visited Keith and Shiro’s cave with Lance, but this human was taller and in more elegant robes. The dragon slid back a bit, shying away from him. The man chuckled as he spotted the dragon, then knelt down and pushed up his glasses. 

 

“Hey there buddy. I’m not going to hurt you, don’t worry,” He sat down, still a few feet away from Keith. “My name is Matthew, but most people around here just call me Matt. May I know yours?” Keith blinked at him before slowly nodding, shifting to cross his legs. 

 

“I Keith…” He murmured, looking down at the book in his hands. It was about human relationships, but Keith was struggling to read half of it due to his inability to read well. Matt leaned forward, reading the title of the book with a small smile. 

 

“Trying to learn more about relationships?” Matt asked, and Keith nodded. The human slid himself closer, reading the page from his spot. “Do you need help reading it?” Keith hesitated, before nodding. Matt smiled and took the book, skimming through the page properly before laughing quietly. “No wonder you’re struggling; this is a psychology book. I can just tell you about human relationships, yeah? I know all about those in dragon culture, too.” Keith’s eyes lit up and he smiled, scooting closer. 

 

Matt crossed his own legs, clearing his throat. “Alright. So…”

 

\----

 

An hour later, Keith had learned all about human courting with Matt’s help. The sun had risen, and the dragon remembered the queen’s suggestion to prepare breakfast with Hunk. He got up after telling Matt where he was going, then made his way to the kitchen where the bigger man was already pulling bread out of the oven, fruit half-sliced on the counter. He cleared his throat, getting Hunk’s attention. “Can… Can I help?” He asked softly, unintentionally giving the other puppy eyes. There was a moment of silence before Hunk sighed then smiled, putting the warm bread on the counter. 

 

“Yes, you can. Do you know how to cut fruit?” Keith shook his head, going over to the cutting board and knife. The dragon kept his wings tucked to his back, as he didn’t want to hit anything with them. He picked up the knife and looked to the chef, who sighed and placed his hand over the other’s, showing him how to cut up the banana. Keith was doing it on his own a few moments later, slices a bit uneven but still looking alright. Next were the strawberries, and Keith had a harder time cutting those up, even if he was shown how to do it more than once. The chunks of strawberries that he had cut were oddly shaped and cut weirdly, but Hunk assured him that Lance would still eat them. 

 

Five minutes later, Lance’s breakfast was arranged on a platter, Keith’s oddly cut fruit decorating the plate along with a handful of blueberries and a piece of warm, buttered bread. The dragon carried the breakfast to Allura’s wooden door, knocking on it softly. “L-Lance? We make breakfast,” He said in a shaky voice, losing all of the confidence he had earlier. He was scared now,  _ what if Lance was still scared of him? _ His thought vanished as a quiet voice beckoned him in. The dragon pushed open the door, nervous eyes looking over Lance. 

 

His mate looked tired, but there was no fear in his face and Keith drew closer, resting the plate in the other’s lap. Lance studied the weirdly cut fruit for a moment, looking up at Keith with a small smile. “Did you help make breakfast?” 

 

Keith nodded looking down at his fingers. “I help cut fruit, make you feel better.” Lance’s smile widened, and he popped a lopsided banana piece in his mouth and ate it happily. 

 

“It’s wonderful Keith, thank you.” A smile lit up his mate’s face, and Lance pat the area next to him, gesturing for Keith to join him. The dragon sat with him, looking up at Lance almost nervously. 

 

“You still scare of me?” The dragon questioned, leaning against his mate carefully. Lance shook his head, smiling down at him. 

 

“No, I’m not scared anymore. I’m sorry I freaked out last night,” The prince looked away, glint of sadness shining in his eyes. “It reminded me of something I… I’d rather not remember.” He then shifted, kissing Keith’s head. “You protected me, thank you.” He murmured into the others hair with a sigh. “Now, let’s eat up. Do you want some of my strawberries?” 

 

Keith nods, grabbing one gently with his claws and popping it in his mouth with a pleased hum. “Thank you,” He mumbled. Lance shook his head, eating a small strawberry piece that had a hole in it, no doubt from Keith’s claw. 

 

“Thank  _ you, _ you helped make me breakfast, and you brought it to me. And it’s  _ delicious. _ ” Keith grinned softly at that, nearly purring at the praise. The two ate breakfast in silence afterwards, enjoying the quiet between them. 

 

Allura came in after they had finished breakfast, and were cuddling up a storm when she saw them. The queen giggled, smiling brightly at the two. “I’m glad that you two have made up,” She says, going to her nightstand for a comb. “Tonight though, I will request that I have my bed back. You two can sleep in one of our guest rooms until everything is back in order, okay?” They both nodded, Lance shifting to sit up after a moment. Keith moved off of him, pouting softly at the lack of cuddles happening at the moment. 

 

“Keith can go there now; I’m gonna go uh,”  _ visit father. “ _ Sit in the courtyard.” Allura nods in understanding, looking towards her brother’s betrothed. 

 

“Come, Keith, I’ll take you to the room while Lance is busy.” The dragon was hesitant, as he just got the chance to be with Lance again, but after a light kiss to his lips from his mate and an encouraging smile, he got up and followed the queen to one of the many guest rooms. The room they arrived in was smaller than Lance’s, but still decorated in a large bed and other furniture, with a window pointed towards the courtyard. When Allura had closed the door, Keith had ventured to the window, watching as a figure walked out to what looked like to be a patch of vibrant red roses. 

 

The dragon realized that it was Lance who was doing so, and watched him closely. The man sat cross legged and upon further studying with his sharp eyes, he saw that his mate’s shoulders were shaking.  _ He was crying. _

 

\----

 

Keith was sitting on their temporary bed when Lance came in, looking cheerful if it weren’t for the red that surrounded his eyes. Keith opened up his arms expectantly, and his mate sat on the bed, the dragon moving into his lap a moment later and cuddling him close. “You okay?” The shorter asked quietly, nuzzled into his lover’s chest. 

 

Lance shrugged, chin resting on top of the other’s head. “I will be if you keep cuddling me,” He murmured, and Keith cuddled closer, letting a soft purr tumble out of his chest. The human smiled and relaxed a bit more, liking the fact that he could cuddle someone so close. He wished that the two could sit there forever, wrapped up in one another’s warmth. 

 

After a bit, Keith spoke up. “I visit Shiro tomorrow with Matt?” Lance blinked at him before nodding softly, rubbing his mate’s lower back. 

 

“Of course you can, I don’t mind at all. Why are you bringing Matt with you though? I haven’t seen him around lately. Did you run into him this morning or something?”

 

Keith nods. “Matt interested in dragons and is very nice. He help me in morning.” Lance nodded, sighing softly. 

 

“Okay. Be sure to give me kiss before you leave though~” Lance teased, drawing a giggle out of Keith, who nods softly. 

 

“Of course,” He murmured, grinning up at Lance. 

 

\----

 

As afternoon grew into night, the small group sat at the table for supper, Allura talking to Lance about all of the marriage requests that she has gotten lately; each of them stating how she ‘needed a strong man to lead the country’. It made her immediately reject any letter, as she has been doing  _ just fine _ unmarried, thank you very much. Their dinner was simple, just steak and some potatoes, both of which Hunk had cooked up. Keith thoroughly enjoyed the steak, of course, and was hesitant about the potatoes but liked them in the end. Lance and Allura’s conversation carried out through dinner, and only ended when the dragon left without a word, having gone off to locate Matt so the human could prepare for the next day. Keith walked up to the library first, searching around for the human for around fifteen minutes before he finally found him. He smiled warmly, waving softly.

 

“Matt? Come to cave with me tomorrow? Meet Shiro,” He spoke, watching as Matt’s face lit up.

 

“O-Oh, of course! Yes, yes, uhm, when are we leaving tomorrow?” There was clear excitement in the scholar’s voice as he spoke.

 

“Midday?” Keith suggested, figuring that it would give Lance enough time to cuddle him before he left. The human nodded at him, then started heading out of the library.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow Keith! I’ve got to prepare!” With that, Matt left, and the dragon whom was left behind left as well after a moment, heading to the guest room that he and Lance shared. His mate wasn’t present, so he just curled up under the blankets until his return. 

 

An hour had probably passed before Lance had come back, and Keith was almost asleep, cuddling a pillow in his mate’s place. His ears perked up as he heard the door open, smiling sleepily at the prince and pushing the pillow aside, letting his love climb into bed before snuggling up to him. “Night, Lance,” Keith murmured, letting off a slight purr. 

 

Lance rubbed Keith’s lower back as always, smiling as he closed his own eyes. “Good night, Keith.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on twitter @zaynewrites if you ever need a friend or wanna give me a prompt!! I love writing, so I accept all prompts!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Un edited!! Hope you guys enjoy-I'm kind of stuck in a rut so writing this took awhile? Also I'm a slut for Matt/Shiro so :///

Keith woke before Lance the next morning, a rarity that the dragon took advantage of. He sat up a bit and let his clawed fingers run through his mate’s short, brown hair, a quiet purr finding its way out of him. His mate was just so  _ pretty _ , he couldn’t help himself. From his neatly trimmed eyebrows, to his stunning blue eyes that reminded him of the sky and the high cheekbones that narrowed his face; Keith loved every bit of Lance’s face, and could stare at it for days. 

 

The man let out a soft groan as his eyes fluttered open, focusing on his lover leaning above him. A tired smile graced his features, lazy blue eyes admiring the other above him. “Hey there,” Lance murmured, eyes fluttering at the feeling of delicate fingers in his hair. “You’re up early.” Keith chuckled softly, leaning down and kissing the corner of Lance’s mouth. 

 

“Is bad?” He asked softly, and Lance chuckled, shaking his head and pressing a kiss back. 

 

“No, you’re fine babe. Wanna cuddle until breakfast?” He didn’t even have to ask, as Keith had already buried his face into the side of Lance’s neck, continuing his purr. The two remained like that for another hour before a knock came to their door, a deep voice announcing that breakfast was ready for them. Lance replied with a thank you and polite dismissal, then pressed a kiss against Keith’s head and murmuring to the other that they needed to get up. The dragon got up with a pout, climbing off the bed and stretching his scaled limbs as his mate followed, hissing softly as he stretched his arms up. Keith was at his side immediately, concerned eyes dancing over his taller figure.

 

“Lance? You hurt?” The taller man nodded, shrugging off his shirt to look at his bandaged arms; speckles of red peeked through the off white of the cloth around his arms. Lance winced at the sight, and Keith seemed to panic, taking his arm gingerly and running his fingers over the bandaged wounds. “Doctor, you need doctor,” Keith decided for him, wrapping an arm around his waist and pushing him towards the door. In no time, Lance was sitting on a bed while one of the castles skilled doctors treated his wounds. 

 

The dragon fetched their breakfasts, feeding Lance like one would a child. Initially, Lance denied the help, declaring that he could feed himself. Keith shushed him and fed him anyways, pressing kisses to the others face whenever a wince found itself on the others face. Lance’s arms were soon rebandaged, and the doctor told him not to lift anything with the wounded arms. Keith finished feeding him before he lead him back to their room, laying the prince back in bed curling up with him protectively. 

 

The two remained like that for a bit, before the two noticed that it was almost midday, when Keith was supposed to leave with Matt. The dragon pressed a kiss against Lance’s lips, brows drawn together in concern. “Be okay while I gone?” Keith murmured, pressing his forehead to Lance’s. He almost didn’t want to leave his mate while he was defenseless; if something happened, Keith could never forgive himself. 

 

Said human smiled up at the other, nodding slightly. “Of course, I’ll be fine. Go visit Shiro, I’ll be awaiting your safe return.” It took another few minutes, but soon Keith was leaving Lance’s side, glancing back at his mate as he closed the door. Soon enough, he located the older scholar, and after that the two were on their way. Keith ended up ripping Lance’s nightgown a bit as he flew off, and hoped that his mate would forgive him for that. 

 

Keith arrived first, practically skipping into the cave and enveloping a just woken up Shiro in a big hug. “Hi Shiro! I bought nice human.” Keith seemed almost over energetic compared the older dragons sleepy state. Shiro murmured a greeting back, hugging Keith back loosely and rubbing at his eyes before he noticed the human walking slowly into the cave. He looked like the other human that had pet him the other day, though this one was taller and had fluffier hair, and was dressed nicer. Shiro couldn’t stop himself from letting off a soft, lazy growl, his good wing unfurling itself a bit. 

 

The human stopped, though there wasn’t fear in his eyes, it looked more like curiosity. Shiro stopped growling as Keith parted from him, letting the human get closer. “Pidge said to scratch right…” A human hand reached up, scratching right behind Shiro’s left horn. “Here.” The dragon started purring immediately, leaning down and into the human’s hand. Matt laughed, sitting down and watching as the bigger man curled up like a cat, head resting in his lap. 

 

Matt studied the other’s features, smiling softly and making sure to memorize everything so that he could draw it later. He spoke after a moment, combing his fingers through the others hair. “Your name is Shiro, right?” He heavy head in his lap nodded. “My name is Matt. I would  _ love  _ to study you.” Shiro apparently didn’t like that, the dragon pulling away from Matt with a scowl.

 

“You’re just like any other human,” He spat, crawling away and shaking the feeling of comfort. “Poking and prodding at us like experiments.” Matt kept a level head, though he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t scared. 

 

“I simply want to understand you, Shiro. I don’t want to hurt you, just study you,” Matt’s voice remained soft, and Shiro lost some of the tenseness in his shoulders, though was still cautious. “I just want to ask you some questions, then I can leave.” Shiro thought over the question then nodded, sitting more comfortably but keeping a good distance away from the human. Matt smiled, pulling out a book and pencil. “Okay. First question. What species of dragon are you?”

 

Shiro answered stiffly. “Northern Winter and Eastern Field.”

 

“And Keith?”

 

Keiths head jerked up the question, biting his lips. “I… don’t know…” He admitted softly, and Matt nodded.

 

“That’s fine. Here’s the next question. How old are you?” 

 

A look crossed Shiro’s face. “Uhm… I may be twenty six.... Keith is… Keith might be twenty two.”

 

“Do you guys not keep track?” Shiro shook his head, and that’s all he offered for an answer. Matt nodded, writing something down. Shiro was quite stubborn. “Do you know anything of the Galra?” Keith flinched softly and Shiro recoiled in disgust. The human wrote down their reactions quickly, then looked to Shiro for answer. 

 

“I was their prisoner… twice. They took my wing and-and they  _ tortured  _ me.” Anger slid its way into Shiro’s voice, and Matt took note of it as the other continued to speak. “They take and destroy  _ everything _ , they kill because they think its  _ funny.  _ There’s so  _ many  _ of them too, and-and they can’t be stopped and I know they’re coming-” Panic had arisen in Shiro, and Matt noticed, getting up and carding his fingers through the dragon's hair to soothe him.

 

“Shh, Shiro, you’re okay,” He murmured, and was surprised to be brought into a hug. The dragon was obviously fearful of the Galra, and most likely brought back a panic disorder when he escaped. Shiro calmed down after a bit, but held onto Matt for awhile longer, purring softly before gently pushing the human away. 

 

Matt sat down again, clearing his throat. “I… I can stop asking questions now. I just have one more thing for Shiro. The Princess asked me to ask you to… to see if the dragons in the surrounding area could help in the war against the Galra.” Shiro stiffened and almost growled, but forced himself to relax at the sight of Matt, who flinched back quite a bit. 

 

“They will never help humans; humans are still disgusting and greedy.” Shiro replied, and Keith huffed in annoyance but didn’t say anything. 

 

Matt nodded softly. “You’re sure? I… I’ll go with you to help explain…” Shiro’s eyes widened. This small  _ human _ was willing to present himself to a group of wild  _ dragons  _ for the sake his kingdom. The dragon stayed quiet, then sighed and nodded. 

 

“I will help if you come along, but do not expect me to protect you if a dragon decides to attack.” Matt nodded, closing his book. 

 

“Can we start tonight?” Shiro hesitates, then nods, standing to his full height. He absolutely  _ towered _ over Matt, and it made him remember how harmless the human was. Keith hopped up too, grabbing his favorite pelt to bring to Lance.

 

“Am I come too?” Keith asked, looking up at Shiro. The elder nods, stretching his scarred arms up. 

 

“Yes. It will be easier to convince to the others if both of us are there.” 

 

The trio was soon walking out, and Shiro led them south first, towards the ocean. There was a larger group of dragons there, and although he didn’t want to admit it, he needed to make sure that Matt stayed safe. They arrived within an hour of walking, and there were dragons who approached them nearly immediately. 

 

There were three dragons; one woman with chocolate coloured skin and light blue scales, and dreaded brown hair. She seemed to be the leader, as she stood defiantly in front. Two males stood behind her, one with dark blue scales and a similar colour of skin to the woman; they were possibly kin. The third male was a creamy white, like Keith, though he had dark green scales and light blonde hair, and all three of them were eyeing the human of the group with utter hostility. The woman knew Shiro, and was obviously angered that the dragon had brought a human to their group. 

 

“Shiro,” She snarled in a thick accent that could only be described as pirate-y. “Why do you bring a  _ human? _ ”

 

“Because,” Shiro started, standing taller. He could take the three of them if needed, but worried for Matts safety. “We have made peace with the humans, and they need the help of the dragons.”

 

She laughed bitterly. “ _ Our _ help? Why should we help  _ them? They _ have done nothing for us.” The blonde dragon took a step closer to Matt, and Shiro growled at him, nearly smirking at the way the younger flinched back. Keith stepped forward, and the female dragon softened a bit; she had helped raise the boy, and knew him well. “Keith, my boy, are you in agreement with him?”

 

Keith nodded, swallowing softly and holding his pelt closer. The woman was older than him, and was stronger than he. “Yes. I… I mate with human prince.” The three dragons gasped, one growling before the woman hushed him. “Th-They need help. To fight Galra.” 

 

The woman sighed softly, a light frown on her face. Another dragon came bounding up to the group, eyes settling on Matt. Before the female dragon could be stopped, she launched herself at the human, and Keith didn’t hesitate to put himself in between them. He yowled in pain as the other dragon sunk her teeth into his shoulder, dropping the pelt as they tumbled along the ground. Shiro was quick to rip her off and throw her to the side, standing protectively in front of his brother and the human, growling.

 

The attacker realized what she had done and covered her mouth, eyes wide from where she sit on the ground. Before she could apologize, the leader growled at her, snapping at her in a foreign language and sending her scuttling away, tail between her legs. Once she was gone, Shiro dropped to his kin’s side, inspecting the bite. It wasn’t too deep, but was bleeding more than was considered safe. The elder looked up at the woman for help, and she nodded, tearing the bottom half of her shirt off and wrapping it around Keith’s wound. 

 

“Andii, Max, take Keith to the castle,” the two males frowned at the idea of interacting with humans, but the woman’s worried face forced their anxiousness down as they picked Keith up gingerly and took off north. 

 

Matt frowned, looking up at Shiro then at the woman. He hid a bit behind the dragon as they spoke again. “Shiro,” The woman spoke. “We will help the humans. If Keith cares this much, then I am sure we can trust them.” 

 

\----

 

As soon as the two dragons arrived at the castle, they hollered for help, knight's coming out. They left Keith there and quickly flew off, and a knight hurriedly carried Keith off to the doctors, yelling out to the servants for help. The dragon was bleeding quite a bit, and the crimson dripped onto the tiled floor as he was jogged to the smaller room. 

 

Lance had heard yelling coming from downstairs and frowned deeply. He had been laying in bed since his mate had left, and grew bored quickly. He called for Hunk, who was standing outside of his door. “Hunk, whats going on?”

 

Hunk bit his lower lip, looking away. He really didn’t want to tell Lance, but he couldn’t lie to his prince. “Uhm… It’s Keith. He got attacked and he’s… he’s bleeding pretty badly.” Lance felt his heart rate increase, and he started to sit up, groaning. Hunk dashed to his side, helping him up. “Lance, no, stay here.” He shook his head, getting out of the bed with Hunk’s help. He didn’t know what was going on, but he needed to be at Keith’s side  _ now.  _

 

Hunk followed him out, opening the door for him and hurrying after him to the infirmary. Lance made it there before his servant, hurrying into there and to Keith’s side. The dragon looked a bit more pale than usual, and a doctor was stitching up a few places and constantly dabbing away blood. Lance raised his arm and held his mate’s hand even if he shouldn’t because of his arms. “Oh, Keith, what happened?” He murmured, his other hand cupping the dragon’s face. 

 

“Dragon try hurt Matt…” Keith mumbled, wincing as the needle pierced his pale skin. Lance pressed a kiss against his lover’s face each time he winced, helping him through it until the last stitch was sewn. The doctor told them both that Keith wasn’t to move his arm for a few days, and no pressure was to be put on his shoulder for the next week. Lance took note of this and thanked the doctor, combing his fingers through Keith’s dark hair.

 

“I’m right here,” Lance murmured, looking into Keith’s yellow eyes. “Just go to sleep, I’ll stay with you all night.” Keith nodded tiredly, letting his eyes fall closed and soon he was asleep, leaning against the hand on his head. The human sighed softly, wincing at a slight twinge of pain that made itself present in his arm. He sat in a nearby chair, letting his head rest on the bed. They seemed to attract bad luck.

 

\----

 

After Shiro finished his conversation with the woman, he and Matt were quick to return to the humans horse, Shiro running beside his horse to the castle; using the fake wing always hurt and he tried to fly as little as possible. They arrived quickly and Matt led him into the infirmary, ignoring any strange look they got. Lance was asleep next to Keith when they arrived, and Shiro relaxed, going to the other dragon’s side and checking him over, making sure that he was alright. The abandoned pelt was laid over the two, and the elder dragon looked at Matt, unsure of what to do. 

 

Matt smiled softly at him. “You can come sleep in my quarters,” He offered, and Shiro nodded after a moment of hesitation, following the human back out. They walked to a room on the first floor, which wasn’t too big, and a little too low for the towering dragon. Matt laughed softly as Shiro ducked down to avoid hitting his head. The human gestured to the bed, climbing onto it himself. It wasn’t as big as Lance’s bed, but the dragon and human could probably fit if they squeezed together. Shiro eyed the smaller bed warily, but curled up next to Matt after being promised scratches and pets. The elder purred loudly as he was pet near his horns, falling asleep long after the human had. He could see why Keith liked it in this castle; the bed was much more comfortable than their pelt. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, hmu on twitter @zaynewrites if you wanna talk or just have a prompt!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So sorry this is late!! Busy life, ahh. This has more Shiro and Matt in it, as well as some more character building on the dragon!!!

Shiro woke that morning to find himself curled around the human he shared a bed with and blushed darkly, a frown decorating his scarred face. It didn’t surprise him too much; he has always been a cuddler, and Matt was much smaller than he, which didn’t help his cuddling needs. The dragon pulled away gingerly, moving to the end of the bed and just sitting there, examining Matt silently. 

 

He was fairly cute, if Shiro wanted to be honest with himself. His body looked thin and lightly muscled, and he was just tall enough to meet Shiro’s collarbone. Orange-ish hair framed the others face and poofed up behind him, and it was currently squished onto the pillow that lay under him. And his face was probably what made Shiro weak, if his height didn’t already affect him. The man had high, delicate cheekbones and pretty eyes that the dragon didn’t exactly know how to explain; they reminded him of Autumn. Leaves floating gracefully to the ground or following the wind to where ever it took them. That also seemed to match Matt’s personality; He was curious, and let himself be lead wherever he was taken. 

 

The human stirred, and Shiro’s ear flicked at the soft groan that left the small man. Said small man sat up and looked at the dragon in front of him for a moment, sleepy eyes surveying the situation before he smiled softly, stretching his arms up with a yawn. “Mornin’ Shiro,” He murmured, sliding out of bed and padding over to his dresser, searching for some fresh clothes for himself. “We’ll go to breakfast in a moment, yeah?”

 

Shiro nodded, climbing off the bed and hitting his head on the ceiling with a thump. The man grumbled, moving into a deep slouch in order to keep his delicate head and horns safe. Matt chuckled, changing into his scholar robes. A small window of light illuminated the room near the northeast corner, and the light almost perfectly his Matt, causing the dragon to stare at the other while he got dressed. When he turned around, Shiro turned away immediately, grumbling softly to himself. There was  _ no way  _ that he was falling for a  _ human.  _

 

The two left the room, Shiro following Matt and looking around the castle with interest before suddenly remembering that Keith lived here, then also remembering that Keith was  _ wounded.  _ He shook Matt’s shoulder probably a little too hard if the the human’s yelp was anything to go by. Shiro felt bad immediately, a gentle frown decorating his face. “Ah, sorry. But, where is Keith being kept?” Matt waved off the apology, though was still rubbing his shoulder. 

 

“I’ll take you to him before we grab breakfast, follow me.” The two went to the infirmary, and the two who were there the night before remained there, continuing to sleep. Shiro relaxed, shoulders losing the tenseness they had moments ago. Matt smiled up at the dragon, patting his arm. “Come on, let’s get something to eat. I’m sure you’re hungry; I know I am.” The human led the taller dragon into the kitchen area, frowning softly as the purple wing kept bumping into things; it was obvious that Shiro didn’t have a lot of control over it. 

 

He scooped some of each kind of fruit for Shiro, handing him a large plate full of berries and a piece of bread. Matt prepared a smaller plate for himself, then had Shiro follow him into the courtyard area, sitting near the entrance to the gardens. The two ate in silence, and Matt took note of Shiro’s likes and dislikes when it came to berries; He seemed to love blueberries and blackberries, though kind of pushed around the strawberries like a young child would. Matt chuckled when the other was pouting at the lack of blueberries, and gave him the rest of his blue fruit in exchange for strawberries. Shiro happily thanked him, purring as he all but inhaled the berries given to him. 

 

“Hey Shiro, may I ask you a question?” Matt said after they’d finished their breakfasts. Shiro eyed him cautiously before shrugging. 

 

“You may ask, though I may not answer.”

 

The human giggled, nodding. “So uhm, your wing. The purple one; is it uncomfortable?” Shiro looked down immediately, fingering one of the many scars on his upper arms. 

 

“Yes… It hurts sometimes… I can’t get it off, it’s… Keith doesn’t know how to get it off.” Shiro answered quietly, and Matt almost wilted, instead scooting forward and reaching his hand out, softly stroking Shiro’s hair. The dragon relaxed a little, pushing his head into the hand. “It… It really hurts when I fly with it…” He mumbled, eyes closing and relishing in the comfort that the human provided. Matt nods, running a hand around the base of Shiro’s left horn. The dragon let out an immediate purr, leaning down further. Matt laughed, petting the spot again. 

 

Shiro’s purr didn’t let up, and suddenly the large man had put all of his weight on the smaller, pushing them into the dirt they’d been sitting on. He seemed to realize what had happened and immediately sat up, blushing intensely. Matt giggled, sitting up a little. “Shiro, you don’t have to be embarrassed, I don’t mind.” 

 

The dragon relaxed, smiling faintly at Matt. “Okay. Thank you, Matt.” 

 

Said man grinned back, nodding. “Can I ask another question?” After he received an affirmative, Matt began speaking again. “If I figured out how to get that wing off, would you let me?” The dragon’s face grew into a soft frown, and he grew into that nervous position again, thumbing a few of his scars.

 

“I… I…” He seemed to panic a bit at the actual chance to get it taken off, and Matt jumped in, petting Shiro’s hair and helping him relax a bit more before the dragon spoke again. “I would like that, but… if you do, please be careful, okay? I might hurt you…” The human smiled at the other, finding it endearing that the dragon cared for his well being. 

 

“Okay. How about I take a look at it now, and later we can figure out a way, yeah?” Shiro nodded, turning around and stretching his wings a bit, his natural one reaching much farther than the synthetic. The dragon’s back was littered in horizontal and few vertical scars.  _ Whipped. Shiro had been whipped.  _ The scars went onto his natural wing too, and cut into the long mane of fur that ran along the other’s back. Carefully, Matt pet at the white fur to help the other calm down a little before he ran a hand along the purple prosthetic, looking at how it was fastened. 

 

It looked almost  _ burned on,  _ sewn tightly at the edges. A deep frown made its way onto Matts face as he ran a finger along the neat stitching, the frown deepening as Shiro twitched at the contact. “Well,” Matt started, running his fingers through the white mane. “It’s not going to be easy, but I know how to get it off. It’s gonna hurt, I can tell you that.” Shiro only stiffened a little, nodding softly before his ear flicked at upcoming footsteps, turning his torso towards the sound. Unfortunately, the prosthetic ended up knocking the human in the face, causing him to fall to the ground for the second time that day. 

 

Shiro’s eyes widened and he scrambled to turn around, apologizing profusely to Matt before looking up at a human who was approaching them. He was dressed nicely and had a big orange mustache, but what lay in his hand made Shiro growl, instincts getting him to hover over Matt protectively. There was a longsword at the man’s side, one that looked ready to kill. At least, that’s what his instincts told him. The human under him giggled a little, sitting up some and running a hand along Shiro’s arm. “Shiro, it’s okay. He’s not going to hurt us, it’s just Coran.”

 

The dragon only backed off when Matt started pushing at his chest, though still kept a wary eye on the new human. Matt stood, so Shiro followed, easily standing taller than the two of them. This ‘Coran’ walked right up to Matt, smiling softly. 

 

“Matt! I’ve been looking for you. I need your help on uh,” He eyed Shiro briefly. “The dragon… training. Yeah. Dragon training!”

 

“I’m not a child,” Shiro murmured, getting both of the human’s attentions. “I know that the castle is preparing for war against my kind.”

 

Matt nodded, looking back at Coran. “Ah of course! We’ll meet you in the training grounds; please alert the trainees that a dragon will be joining us, and they are not to harm him.” The other human nodded and left quickly, Matt turning to Shiro. “I was just thinking, Shiro, that since you’re a real dragon and all, you could help with the training? If you’d like? I…” His voice lowered. “Our knights aren’t doing well, and we could lose the kingdom to the Galra if they don’t improve.”

 

Shiro felt the need to comfort Matt so he did, after making sure that no one would see them. His bigger arms wrapped around the shorter, pulling him into a soft hug. “If it is to keep the kingdom safe, then I will help,” He murmured, and felt the human relax in his arms. He smiled and parted, resting a hand on the shorter’s shoulder. “We go, then?”

 

Matt nodded, grinning at Shiro then leading him to the training grounds. The area was just beyond the courtyard to the east, and Shiro could hear murmurs before they were even in sight. As soon as they were though, the dragon felt the nigh immediate urge to stand in front of Matt at the sight of swords in young men's hands, a few swords raising slightly at the sight of the huge dragon; they had a right to be scared, and Shiro wanted to keep it that way. He opted for standing slightly in front of Matt, not paying attention to the laugh that the man gave in return, just moving to stand next to Shiro. 

 

“Trainee’s,” Matt spoke in a loud, calm voice. “This is Shiro, and he is going to help us train you because frankly, you guys wouldn’t stand a chance against Pidge, let alone a dragon.” A few grumbles were given in reply, one of the elder trainees quietly bragging to his friends that he could  _ totally  _ take down Shiro, apparently not knowing that y’know, dragons have  _ amazing  _ hearing _.  _ Matt didn’t hear it though, and kept talking. “He is not to be harmed, if any of you could even manage to get  _ close enough, _ and you will listen to what he tells you.” With that, Matt motioned for the training to continue. He spoke in a quieter voice, turning to Shiro. “Go ahead. Tell them what they’re doing wrong, and fix it for them.” The dragon nodded and stepped forward, eying the humans as they started going into defensive positions. The bragging guy had his foot in the wrong position, and Shiro saw his chance. 

 

He quickly walked over and pushed at the boy’s chest, smirking as he fell straight to the ground. “Hey, what the hell?” The trainee snapped, standing back up. 

 

“His feet were in bad position,” He spoke, noticing his own slight accent. “If they’re in bad position, any dragon could knock you down easily.” He looked to Matt for approval, who in turn nodded, a grin decorating his face. “Try again, brat.”

 

The kid huffed, getting back into position. Shiro pushed at his chest again and felt some resistance before he was able to knock him off of his feet again with a not so gentle push. “You are shit at this,” He whispered, then spoke in a louder voice. “Everyone, get into defensive position.” The humans followed his directions, and he went around to everyone, giving a good shove to their chests. When they didn’t fall, he praised them with a simple ‘good’ and a slight nod. They worked on this stance until everyone had it, then the group took a short break. Shiro made a beeline to Matt, thumbing his scars semi-nervously as he didn’t know if the human actually approved of what he taught. 

 

The human seemed very happy though, grinning at the taller dragon. “That was awesome Shiro! You’re doing so well,” He praised, reaching up and petting Shiro’s hair. Said dragon melted at the praise, purring softly and leaning into the hand. He heard murmuring behind him but didn’t care until he heard thundering footsteps coming up behind him. The dragon pushed Matt away and dodged an incoming downwards swing, coming from none other than the brat. 

 

Said brat had horrible footing and incorrect grip on his sword, Shiro observed this as he dodged in coming attacks. It wasn’t hard; this kid  _ really  _ sucked at it. In a swift movement, the dragon grabbed the humans wrist and nearly snapped it, forcing his arm behind his back and pressing his chest to the ground. “Don’t you  _ dare  _ think that you will  _ ever  _ be good enough to challenge me.  _ Never  _ come near Matt again, or I  _ will  _ break your fragile, human bones,” He snarled, letting go of the brat who ran over to his group of friends, holding his wrist. Shiro immediately went to Matt’s side, apologizing again for the nigh millionth time that day. The human was still laying on the ground, still stunned at what had just unraveled. 

 

“No… No Shiro, you’re fine… Thank for doing that, I probably would’ve gotten stabbed if you hadn’t pushed me away.” Shiro bristled at the mention of Matt getting stabbed, and ran his eyes over the human’s body, making sure that there were no injuries. After Matt was found to be in perfect condition, he helped him up, shooting a glare at the trainees and speaking in a hard voice. 

 

“Back in line. It’s time to put you through your paces.”

 

\---

 

Shiro worked the boys harder than they’ve ever been worked, but there was definite improvement. They worked until lunch, then Coran dismissed the tired kids away, getting them some food as well. Matt came over to Shiro with a big grin, and the dragon almost melted right there; he loved Matt’s smile. “You did awesome Shiro! Thank you for helping!” A hand came up and Shiro automatically leaned down, adoring the praise and attention he got from Matt, not that he would ever admit it. “How about we go to lunch, yeah? Hunk set aside some leftover steak for you and Keith, I bet you’ll love it.” If Matt said that he would, then Shiro sure as hell bet he would love it.

 

The two made their way to the kitchen, Matt having Shiro stand outside so he didn’t knock anything over while their food was being served. The human came out a few minutes later with a plate for him and another for Shiro; it was stacked high with potatoes and steak, and Shiro wanted to dig in immediately. They made their way to their earlier spot and sat across from one another, eating quietly. The dragon almost gave into the need to tear into his food like a beast, but refrained from doing so because he figured that Matt found it unattractive. 

 

Shiro still finished his lunch quickly, laying his head in Matt’s lap after he put his plate down. He got was he obviously wanted; gentle hands combing through his short hair, massaging his head and letting the dragon relax. “You really like being pet,” Matt murmured, brushing a bit of hair out of Shiro’s face.

 

Shiro nodded softly, purring. “Winter dragon’s love pets; being close keeps us warm where we’re from.” Matt took note of that, then continued to pet Shiro, smiling softly.

 

“Would you like to lay in my bed? I can study while you rest, if you’d like.” Shiro nodded at Matt’s proposition and the two got up, the dragon following back to the kitchens then to the human’s room obediently, and a bit tiredly. He crouched as he entered, making a beeline for the comfy bed. Matt chuckled and gathered some books from his desk, then sat on the bed with crossed legs.

 

Shiro immediately laid his head in those legs and purred softly, curling up a bit. He usually wasn’t so comfortable around humans, but Matt was something different. Every other human he’d met before Keith got involved with Lance had always wanted to kill or wound him. They held no mercy for him, didn’t care that he offered any mercy. They would poke and prod at him, and those humans on the Galran warship had been  _ devils _ . They held high positions of power, and were allowed to whip their prisoners whenever they pleased, even if the lower class man had done nothing wrong. 

 

His negative thoughts were brushed away from his mind when he felt a hand play with his hair absentmindedly. Shiro pushed into much like a cat, falling asleep easily. 

 

\----

 

That morning, Lance had woken before Keith, which was fairly usual. He took in his surroundings; linen curtains, soft cots, and someone exiting the room in doctor's robes. They were in the infirmary, he remembered. Keith was hurt. The human looked down at his dragon mate and sighed softly, relaxing a bit at the sight of his lover sleeping comfortably. He eyed the bandages and noted that while they didn’t look fresh, they weren’t covered in any blood, which was good. He took that moment to inspect his own bandages, happily finding that he hadn’t bled through either. 

 

His stomach grumbled in hunger and he chuckled softly, tapping Keith softly to wake him. “Keith, love, I’m going to get breakfast. Would you like any?” A tired, grumpy affirmative was what Lance got, so he chuckled again, pressing a kiss to Keith’s forehead then leaving the room. He stretched his legs as he walked to the kitchen, finding Hunk on the way and politely asking him to accompany him to the kitchen and help carry the plates into the infirmary. Hunk did as told, helping Lance pile Keith’s plate high with evenly cut strawberries and a slice of warm, buttered bread. 

 

Keith was awake when they returned, though only barely. His head turned to look at his mate entering the room, a lazy smile gracing his face, one that widened when he noticed the plate full of strawberries. Lance put his own plate down and gingerly helped Keith sit up, pressing a kiss to his cheek before allowing Hunk to set down a plate in the dragon’s lap. The servant took his leave, and the two love birds started eating quietly, the human keeping a watchful eye on his lover.

 

After breakfast, they cuddled sitting up, which had Keith sitting in Lance’s lap and leaning on his chest so neither of their wounds got jostled. The two did so until lunch, where Hunk brought in a sandwich for Lance, and plate of steak and potatoes for Keith. That was easily devoured and the two returned to cuddling, where they eventually fell asleep, huddled in eachothers arms. 

 

Today was definitely one of the more relaxing days in the castle of Altea. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave anything else that you would like to see in the comments. I love brainstorming with people too, so if you have an idea, hmu here or on twitter @zaynedere !! The next chapter will be a more serious, just a heads up :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait! I have a convention coming up, so I've been working on cosplay and such! Here you guys go, over 4,000 words in this chapter!! Please enjoy!!

After their day of relaxation, Lance had to unfortunately go back to this castle duties; he needed to not only catch up in his studies with Pidge, but also help greet the incoming royalty from the west. The kingdom of Balmera  hated the dragons in their area as all of them were bigger and stronger than the humans that populated the country. To the Balmeran country, killing a dragon brought great honor, and the royalty brought one to kill in each kingdom they visit as a sign of strength. 

 

Lance was very much nervous about this, since one wrong step could get Keith or Shiro in  huge trouble, as well as he didn’t exactly want to see a dragon be murdered just to show strength. Allura wasn’t too keen on seeing a dragon in such a state and told Lance that all they needed to do was convince the incoming royalty that dragons weren’t so bad. They both hoped for the best, getting dressed and greeting the incoming guests with mostly fake smiles, though Allura was better at that than her brother.

 

“Welcome, King Rolo and Lady Nyma!” Said royalty entered the room, dressed in traditional western royal garb. Western citizens wore shades of brown or green, while royalty or higher-ups wore elegants hues of blue and purple. King Rolo wore black leggings, thick purple robes lined with gold decorated his torso, and an almost haphazard crown rested upon his head. Heeled black boots clicked on the tile as he walked forward, spreading his arms with a lazy grin. 

 

“Queen Allura, it’s wonderful to finally meet you. Prince Lance, as well,” His voice was deep and loud, as was befitting of a king. Nyma followed behind him, standing elegantly in her own purple dress, decorated with many gems and the fabric also lined in gold. She had fair skin and platinum blonde hair, she was very beautiful compared to her significant other. His skin was tanner than hers, but his jaw was square and lined with blonde stubble, his own hair cut short under his crown. His skin was uneven and bumpy, like he had picked at his skin as a teenager and never took proper care of himself before becoming King. Allura, of course, didn’t comment on how Rolo looked, and instead smiled at Nyma, clasping her hands behind her back. 

 

“Hello Lady Nyma, it is wonderful to meet you,” Allura spoke with only kindness, although it might have been just a little faked. 

 

“Likewise, Queen Allura,” Nyma spoke back, light distaste in her voice. Rolo seemed to ignore her, keeping a gentle grin on his face. 

 

“Shall we discuss everything now, my Lady?” Allura nodded at his suggestion, nodding at Lance as they lead the other royalty down the hall and into the war room, where Lance took his spot beside his queen, Hunk at his side and Coran at hers. Rolo and Nyma sat at the other end of the long table, a single advisor standing beside them. 

 

Allura motioned for Coran to point at the map hanging beside the table as she started speaking. “As you two know, the Galra are gaining territory, and quickly. In the northern areas especially, I’m told they were easier to win over for the Galra.” She sighed, eyeing the map. “My hope is to gain alliances with the remaining countries that go beyond trading; Altea is the closest country to the north, and my spies tell me that they’ll be arriving in the country soon. We need a strong army to defend our people, as well as humans  and  dragons around our planet.”

 

Rolo frowned at the mention defending  dragons,  Nyma outright scowling. “Defending  dragons ? Doesn’t that seem like a bit much?” It was clear that the westerners weren’t keen on the idea. 

 

“Well, yes. Our country has declared peace with the dragons; in fact we have two dragons in this castle at this moment,” Allura winced softly at the looks she received from the others, which were both of distaste, Nyma’s face held more anger than anything. She didn’t speak up though, just fuming silently in her spot. “They wouldn’t hurt anyone unless attacked. One of the dragons happen to be helping our own trainees, as they wouldn’t have stood a chance against the northern dragons.”

 

“Keeping  dragons though, such bloodthirsty beasts wouldn’t be able to control themselves around humans,” Rolo commented with a frown, leaning back in his chair. Allura looked to Lance, nodding at him. The prince nervously spoke up, clearing his throat. Rolo’s attention immediately went to him, eyebrows raising. 

 

“They’re… They aren’t bloodthirsty when you actually show them some  respect , my lord,” He added with a soft frown. He probably shouldn’t be talking to a King in such a way, but their blatant distrust in the other species irked him. “They’ve been kind to us since we’ve stopped hunting them. Maybe you should try a similar strategy,  sir. ” 

 

Nyma was absolutely fuming now, letting her usually gentle voice boom throughout the room. “How  dare  you question my King! You shouldn’t speak like that to a  king,  you-” Rolo hushed her, frowning at her outburst. 

 

“ Nyma, ” He murmured sternly, clearing his throat and turning to Lance. “I simply don’t understand how dragons could be anything but bloodthirsty, would you care to show us?” Allura frowned softly, nodding at Lance, who left the room, going to get Keith. 

 

“The dragon isn’t to be harmed. He is apart of the royal family now, and killing him, or any dragons, and we will no longer be able to guarantee your safety in Altea.” Allura’s voice held no anger, but her words held all of the bite. The royalty nodded at her, shifting in their seats.

 

Lance ventured into the room he shared with Keith, smiling at the sight of his mate reading. Said mate looked up when the human entered, smiling at him. “Lance! You done now?” Lance shook his head, sitting on the edge of the bed. 

 

“No, actually. I need your help… These royals don’t understand that dragon’s are capable of being sweet, like you.” He noticed that Keith was nervous about this, eyes looking down nervously. “Hey, come here love.” The dragon moved over, straddling Lance and nosing his mate’s jaw. “They won’t hurt you, I promise, just stay by my side, okay?” A nod came from the other, and Lance smiled, pressing a kiss against Keith’s head. “Up now, I’m sure they’re ready to meet you.” 

 

Keith climbed off and grabbed the other’s hand as soon as he was off the bed as well, standing slightly behind him as they left the room and walked towards the war room. Keith was quite obviously nervous; he understood the situation clearly, and his actions could make or break this meeting. “Lance?” He murmured, stopping them just outside of the closed doors. “Do I need to be like Prince?” 

 

Lance laughed softly, shaking his head and kissing Keith’s cheek. “No love, just be yourself, that’s what they want to see.” Keith nods, tucking himself behind Lance as the Prince straightened and cleared his throat, gently pushing the door open with his free hand. The many pairs of eyes in the room landed on them, whether they were royalty or knights or advisors. He kept his back straight and head high as he walked into the room, feeling the dragon’s nervous presence behind him. He sat in his seat by Allura, blinking at how Keith sat in his lap, but didn’t make any move to get him off, instead wrapping his arms around Keith’s waist and resting his chin on the dragon’s unharmed shoulder and looking at the royals across from them. 

 

Rolo didn’t look too happy, but held a look of light curiosity, and maybe a touch of fear. Nyma looked either terrified or furious, Lance couldn’t quite read the look on her pretty face but figured that the emotion wasn’t very positive. He cleared his throat again, speaking after receiving a nod from his sister. “This is Keith, whom I believe is an Eastern dragon, as many around here happen to be. He’s… Quite nervous right now, so please be kind to him.”

 

Nyma scoffed, speaking without her King’s permission. “Be  kind ? To a  dragon? Please, that’s like watching a beast kill your loved ones then asking to keep it as a  pet. ” Rolo hushed her again, leaning forward in his seat after giving his wife a wary eye. 

 

“I apologize for her  outbursts, ” He wrinkled his nose, and Nyma held a slight look of guilt. “We’re just…  Fascinated with how such a beast could be…  Tamed.”

 

“Well,” Lance spoke, rubbing Keith’s stomach to comfort him. “He wasn’t exactly tamed. We didn’t teach him how to be nice, he did that on his own, since actually has a  brain.  Treating dragons like mindless beasts doesn’t help anything. He’s quite nice, and has done nothing to harm me.”

 

“What’re those bandages on his shoulder?” Rolo asked, gesturing to the dragon. Keith looked down, interrupting Lance who was about to speak. 

 

“I protect human while trying to make peace…” He murmured, and Rolo’s eyes widened, a mix of a smile and a frown resting on his lips. 

 

“Oh? What exactly happened?”

 

Lance decided to speak, trying to calm Keith a bit more. “He and the other dragon, as well as one of our scholars had gone to explain the declaration of peace to another group of dragons, where one of their rouge members attempted to attack M-Our scholar. Keith jumped in front of him, protecting him.” Rolo looked surprised, but Nyma still held a strong look of distaste. She leaned over and whispered something to the advisor, causing Keith to freeze. The other humans couldn’t hear it, but a dragon’s ears were mighty sensitive and picked it up easily.

 

“Keith?” Allura murmured, resting a comforting hand on the dragon’s shoulder. “What is it?” Lance frowned softly, resting his hands over Keith’s own and laying them on the dragon’s waist. 

 

“Dragon… killing… ceremony?” The dragon whispered, eyes large and a bit terrified. Nyma smirked, and Rolo frowned at her. 

 

“Yes,” Nyma said in a condescending voice, knowing exactly how this made Keith feel. “We kill dragons as a sign of power in our country, and we do it  everywhere we visit. We brought along two dragons from our territory, my knights are bringing them in.”

 

Keith’s heart beat skyrocketed, and he seemed to shrivel up in Lance’s lap, shaking. Allura frowned, clearing her throat. “Killing dragons in this kingdom is not permitted, I thought I made that clear.”

 

Rolo seemed oddly quiet throughout this, biting his lower lip. Nyma laughed bitterly. “We know, but this is tradition.”

 

“Killing helpless dragons is fucking  despicable, ” Lance snarled, holding the shaking dragon against his body in an attempt at protection. Allura gasped at his language, but didn’t get a chance to scold him as he continued. “Killing creatures that have only done things out of survival or self protection does not justify  tradition.  If you simply pulled your heads out of your behinds and took a moment to actually make  peace  with them, maybe your dragon troubles will go away.”

 

“Lance, that is quite enough,” Allura snapped, although she definitely felt the same. She turned to Rolo, opening her mouth but her voice dying as she saw knights carry in two chained up dragons, dropping the two on the floor roughly and holding swords to their backs. The dragon's skin was a deep brown, and their scales were a dusty tan, like the color of tanned rocks. Their bodies were large and bulky, but still thin from malnourishment, naturally low cheekbones a bit more hollow than they should be. There was a male and female dragon, the female only slightly smaller, most likely because of age. Her eyes were wide with fear, body cowering into the male. The male had a fierce anger in his eyes, teeth bared and body doing it’s best to hide the woman. 

 

“K-King Rolo,” Allura spoke, a warning tone in her voice. “Call off your knights, there is no need for that. I know it is tradition, but dragons roam free here.” Rolo frowned, shifting in his seat. 

 

“These dragon’s aren’t…  Nice,  like Keith. They’ll kill us if we let them go.” 

 

“I wonder why,” Lance muttered under his breath, receiving a light slap from Allura. 

 

“Rolo, perhaps if Keith talked to them, they might understand what’s happening,” Allura offered, and after a few moments of hesitation, the king nodded, motioning for Nyma to be silent. The woman was positively furious, fiery eyes watching her King. Lance murmured to Keith, making sure he was okay with it. 

 

“Only… Only if you with me,” Keith murmured to Lance. The prince nodded, letting Keith get off of him and keeping one hand twined together as they slowly walked over to the two dragons. Lance waved off the knights, watching as the male immediately hovered over the female, snarling at the sight of the human. Keith let go of Lance’s hand, instincts taking over a little as he growled back and spread his wings a bit, protecting his mate. The other dragon stopped after a moment, making a few clicking noises. Keith stopped growling as well, blinking at him before making a few cautious ones back. “He… He speak different… I only know little…” Keith murmured. 

 

Clicking sounds went throughout the tense room for a moment, and Nyma ended up scoffing, standing a pulling out something metal. “They’re not understanding,” She growled. “I’m finishing this.” Before she could get close to the dragons though, Hunk’s strong arm was stopping her. She frowned, rearing her free hand back and slapping the servant. “Don’t  touch me. ”

 

Hunk didn’t let go, keeping his anger in check. “The queen said that no harm was to come to them, don’t start a war, my lady.”

 

Rolo nodded, standing and slowly approaching the dragons, a key in hand. “H-Here. Let me unlock them.” The male dragon growled at the King, and Keith was quick to click out what he was doing, making unlocking motions. He backed down, keeping a watchful eye on the human as he and the woman were freed of their chains. Rolo stepped back, clearing his throat and facing the Queen. “Queen Allura, thank you for showing me this. Could you be so kind as to show us to our room for the night, and maybe in the morning we could meet the one who is training your army?”

 

Allura relaxed and nodded, walking past the dragons and telling Hunk to let go of Nyma then leading the visiting royalty out and into another one of their many spare rooms. Lance stood awkwardly behind Keith, eyes widening as a unfamiliar voice spoke up. 

 

“Thank you, Keith,” The male dragon spoke, sitting up a bit. Keith smiled and nodded. Lance spoke up, putting a hand at the small of his mate’s back. 

 

“I thought you couldn’t speak English?” He questioned.

 

“We only speak to those we can trust, that man did not deserve to hear us,” He stood, standing a bit taller than Hunk. “I am called Rax, and this is my kin, Shay.” Shay gave a small wave to Hunk, and the bigger human waved back with a gentle smile. 

 

“This Lance, my mate. That… Hank?” Keith questioned, looking back at Lance.

 

Lance laughed. “Hunk. That’s Hunk.”

 

Rax and Shay nodded, calmer than before, though the brother still stood protectively in front of his sister. “We thank you for your help in freeing us, but may we leave soon?”

 

“Why?” Spoke Keith, leaning slightly back into his mate. 

 

“We don’t like castles,” Rax spoke for the both of them, even though Shay was looking around the war room with curiosity. “Nor humans, even your mate is gross to us.” Lance flinched slightly, looking away. He knew he shouldn’t be hurt from that, but he couldn’t help it. 

 

Keith frowned slightly, furrowing his eyebrows. “Lance is amazing,” He said defensively, cuddling back into the human. Said human smiled, nodding. 

 

“You guys can leave the castle, there’s a cave not too far from here that you may reside in for awhile. Hunk can show you the way, right Hunk?” Said man nodded, swallowing softly then leading them out of the castle, quietly talking to Shay about the castle and the kingdom they resided in. 

 

Lance relaxed as they were the only ones left in there, turning Keith around and bringing him into a hug. “Thank you for doing all of that today. You’re probably tired, yeah?” Keith nods, yawning right on cue.    
  


“Hungry, too. Is there strawberries?” Keith murmured, and Lance laughed again. 

 

“Of course, let's go get some now.” With that, they left the room hand in hand, wandering down to the kitchen and getting some strawberries from the counter, Keith eating some happily before thanking Lance, satisfied for now. They left to their temporary room, and Lance moved the books gently to the ground as Keith sat in bed, making a grabby hand at the human. Lance obliged, laying down in bed and letting his mate lie on his chest with the blankets over them. 

 

“I love you Keith,” Lance murmured, rubbing Keith’s lower back like usual. 

 

“I love you too, Lance,” Keith mumbled back, easily falling asleep. 

 

\----

 

While the royals met, Shiro and Matt were at the training grounds, pushing the knights past their limits in preparation for the war. Matt was standing off to the side, and Shiro growled irritably when a certain  brat  kept putting his feet in the wrong position. “Oh my  heavens,  you  stinky human, ” Shiro snapped at the brat. “I said  offensive, put your feet in the  correct  place.” A few moments of shuffling and,  oh gods,  he made it  worse.  “N-No! Like  this,”  He pointed at the trainee besides the brat, who had perfect form. 

 

Shiro was  very  annoyed with his knights, it was only their second day of training and he wanted to  scream  in frustration. Matt seemed to notice this and cleared his throat, telling the knights to take a break and beckoning Shiro over. The dragon stalked over, body tense with anger and annoyance. “Matt they-they’re so  stupid. ” Matt laughed and reached a hand up, getting Shiro to lower his head so the human could pet it. 

 

“I can see. Let’s take a long break, hm? They need a break, and you certainly need to calm down,” Matt offered politely, petting Shiro’s hair. Shiro scowled, eyes narrowing. 

 

“ I need to calm down?” He snapped lightly, not missing the flinch that came from the human and suddenly understanding why.

 

“Yes,” Matt murmured. “You do. Come on, we can sit in the grass over here and I’ll pet you.” Shiro gave a hesitant nod and followed the human towards the grassy area, deciding that he  definitely  needed a break as soon as his head was resting in Matt’s lap and gentle fingers were combing through his hair. A purr left his chest easily, eyes closing as he enjoyed the attention. 

 

Not too far off, he heard the  brat  scoff, talking to his friends angrily. “Why does  he  get all of the praise and attention when  we’re  the one’s doin’ all the work?”

 

Before Shiro could even form a response, Matt was speaking. “Because  he  has to hold himself back from tearing your sorry ass apart.  He didn’t sign up to teach those below him how to kill his kind. It doesn’t help that you’re literally  shit  at fighting. Maybe you’d get some praise if you actually  tried. ” The dragon was astonished; He never knew that such hostility could come from Matt. The fact that it was for him though, made his heart swell a bit and a smile come to his face. 

 

The smile quickly left as he heard heavy footsteps coming towards them and a hasty “ Why you little ass, ” Coming from none other than the brat’s lips. Shiro shot up with a snarl, pulling Matt up and trying to push him out of the way but alas, he wasn’t quick enough. A slightly dull silver sword cut deep into Matt’s right thigh, causing the man to cry out in pain. Shiro’s blood  boiled at the sound, a loud snarl ripping from his throat as he pounced on the attacker. 

 

How dare he hurt Matt?  Shiro easily had the young man pinned down, growling in his face. The smell of fear radiated off of the brat; good,  Shiro thought.  He should be scared.  Before complete blood lust took over though, he climbed off the man with more self control than he thought he had. “If you  ever  dare to even  breathe  near Matt again, I will not hold myself back next time. I  will  tear you to  shreds. ” The threat was not empty and the trainee realized it, scrambling away. 

 

After making sure the boy wouldn’t come back, Shiro dashed to Matt’s side. The man had taken out the sword and was pressing at his bloody wound, thick tears rolling down his face. “M-Matt, this my fault, I-” 

 

“S-Stop, Shiro. It’s not your fault. Just,” He shook slightly, holding back a groan of pain. “Take me to the infirmary, do you r-remember where that is?” Shiro nods and lifts Matt delicately, whispering apologies as he ran past Coran and inside, all but sprinting into the infirmary and laying the human on the bed. 

 

The doctors made him leave, since Shiro was taking up  way  too much room. The dragon paced outside of the room for a whole hour, rubbing at his scars nervously. Finally, after what felt like forever, Shiro was allowed into the room. 

 

Matt lay on one of the beds, looking significantly better but still worn out and maybe in pain still. Shiro was too big for the chair by the bed, so he instead kneeled next to it, frowning softly in worry at Matt.

 

The human laughed softly, a hand coming out and lightly petting Shiro’s hair. “Shiro, I’m okay now. You can stop worrying,” He murmured, and the dragon shook his head, leaning into the attention that he didn’t feel like he deserved. 

 

“My fault,” He mumbled, eyes drooping in guilt. He didn’t see it, but Matt rolled his eyes. 

 

“It’s not your fault. In fact, I’m  very  proud of you for not killing him. Thank you,” He cooed the praise, Shiro purring softly at it. “I know he deserves it, but I’m glad you held back. You did a good job, Shiro.”

 

The dragon  melted  at the praise, nuzzling Matt’s hand as the human continued to speak. “I’ll be in here for a few hours, but after that we can go lie down in bed for the rest of the day, okay?”

 

Shiro nodded, moving away from Matt’s hand slightly. “Are you hungry?” The wounded human nodded slightly. “I-I can get you food, if you’d like.”

 

Matt smiled widely, though it was still weak from lingering pain. “That would be wonderful, Shiro. Hunk isn’t in there right now, but I’m sure one of the servants could help you.”

 

The dragon nodded and left the room, though leaving Matt alone and wounded didn’t exactly sit right with him as he padded towards the kitchen, ducking down a little bit in the doorway and noticing two teenage looking girls staring up at him. Their hands were previously busying themselves with cooking, and Shiro presumed that they’d never seen a dragon before. He cleared his throat a bit awkwardly, eyes trained downwards. “Uhm… Matt is hungry, I don’t know how to…” 

 

A giggle caused him to lift his head, eyes meeting those of a laughing girl. “We can help you. We know  exactly  what Matt likes too.” One girl tugged him further in, talking animatedly about what the wounded man liked and disliked while the other quickly cut up some fruit and put it on a ceramic plate.

 

They gave the plate to Shiro in no time, smiling at him. “T-Thank you,” The dragon murmured, ducking out of the kitchen as he was shooed away. He returned to Matt’s side with the food, whom eagerly greeted him and started to eat the abundance of strawberries on his plate. Matt was kind enough to give Shiro his blueberries, and the dragon ate them happily, staying at the human’s side.

 

Once the fruit had been eaten and the plate had been put away, a small hand pet Shiro’s hair again. “Your hair is really soft,” Matt murmured, rubbing the base of one horn. The dragon all but melted again, purring loudly. “‘M gonna go to sleep, okay Shiro?”

 

The dragon nods, yawning along with the other. He laid down on the floor, watching Matt’s delicate hand appear over the side of the bed. Before he could think about it, Shiro was lacing his fingers with the other’s, falling asleep easily after Matt had.

 

Maybe he  was  falling in love with a human. 

  
Shiro realized that he didn’t mind it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, hmu @zaynewrites on twitter!!! Please leave any constructive criticism in the comments! I love brainstorming as well, so if you have an idea, throw it out and I might just use it!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait!! I tried to make this chapter a little longer, but school kept getting in the way so I hope you enjoy it!!
> 
> Thank you all so much for the hits, kudos, bookmarks and comments!! Everytime I get an email about this fic I get so happy!! I read all of the comments, thank you all!!!
> 
> Not beta'd

Shiro woke to the shifting of the human on the bed above him, a soft groan coming from the wounded man. The dragon rubbed his sleepy eyes before getting up, eyes roaming over Matt. The ginger was awake now, shifting slightly then smiling as he saw the dragon rise. “Hey there Shiro. I’m sorry, did I wake you?” The dragon shrugged, petting Matt’s hair softly. 

 

“It’s alright. Are you in need of something? I can get it for you,” Shiro spoke, failing to cover up the worry that coursed through his body. The human chuckled softly, shaking his head slightly. 

 

“Maybe a bath. We both need one; you reek,” He giggled, and Shiro frowned softly. 

 

“Does it bother you? I- I can leave-”

 

“Shiro, no, you’re fine. We  _ both  _ reek. If you want to do something, go ask a servant to run us a bath, yeah?” The dragon nods, a bit hesitant to leave the smaller human alone as he was wounded, but managed to leave him, easily finding a female servant and quietly asking her to run a bath. She giggled and nodded, walking away and leaving a slightly confused dragon to stand in the hall for a moment, before he shook it off and went back to Matt, smiling in relief that he was safe. 

 

He couldn’t help himself; this human was small and cute, something that Shiro wanted to protect with his life. Something, no, some _ one  _ that Shiro truly cared about that wasn’t Keith. As he combed his fingers through Matt’s hair once again, a realisation fell upon him. He wanted to be Matt’s  _ mate.  _ He wanted the human to himself, he wanted to kiss and hug and cuddle this human forever. Matt gave  _ very  _ good pets too, and Shiro never wanted to lose that. In fact, he didn’t want Matt to give them to any other being, including Keith. 

 

The thought of being mates with a human scared him a bit, but with one look down at Matt, he knew that this is what fate had in store for him. He cleared his throat a little, getting Matt’s attention. “Matt,” He spoke softly, looking down at the other with a very dark blush. “What… What do you think about… about becoming my, my mate?” He asked equally as soft, almost a whisper. After a few moments of Matt just staring at him, Shiro drew his hand away and thumbed a scar nervously. “I- I understand if you’d rather not be with me, I-” He was interrupted by giggles coming from the other, and suddenly thin arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him down into a hug. 

 

“Shiro, I’d  _ love  _ to be your mate. You just startled me a bit there, that’s all.” Shiro melted into the hug, holding Matt tight against him with a grin. A fit of coos erupted from the doorway, and the dragon felt himself immediately grow protective of his mate, eyes narrowing at the intruders before he relaxed. Just a bunch of young servant girls. 

 

One hopped into the room, grinning softly. “Your bath is ready. There are some clothes to change into already in the chambers.” Matt thanked her, then tapped Shiro’s chest. 

 

“Shiro? Will you carry me there?” The dragon nodded before the question was even over, gingerly lifting him as to not cause him any harm. The human rested happily against the Dragon’s pectorals as they made their way to the bathing chambers, and the dragon was quite comfortable, too. His mate was in his arms, happy and safe. He couldn’t ask for anything more. 

 

Ten minutes later, they were in the bath together, old clothes set to the side as the two relaxed in the warm water. Neither of them were embarrassed to be in the bath together, Shiro even letting Matt press his smaller back onto his chest, comfortable for the both of them. As they sat like that, the scars that marked Shiro’s thighs and calves were visible to Matt, who was tracing the raised flesh lightly with his smaller fingers. 

 

“I’m sorry if they’re-  _ ugly, _ ” Shiro mumbled, bringing a clawed hand up to pet at Matt’s hair. His mate, shook his head slightly, shifting so he could look up at Shiro.    
  


“They’re just fine. Nothing about you is ugly, alright?” Matt murmured, with a smile. “Well, maybe your temper, but we’re working on that,” He said, giggling at Shiro’s slight pout. “But seriously, don’t worry about your scars. I think they fit you, honestly.” 

 

The dragon grinned at this, blushing softly and rubbing his head against Matt’s as a sign of affection. 

 

“Thank you, Matt.”

 

\------

Lance woke before Keith again, it was good timing too, just around dinner time if the position of the sun was anything to go by. The dragon lay curled on his chest, sleeping soundly. The human smiled, sighing lightly and letting Keith sleep away. A quiet knock came to the door, and Lance let them in after rubbing Keith’s back to help him stay asleep. It was Allura who entered the room, noticing the sleeping dragon and keeping her voice low.

 

“Lance, dinner is ready. I see that Keith is asleep though, would you rather eat it here?” She spoke, tucking a stray strand of milky white hair behind her ear. Lance nods, smiling softly at his sister. 

 

“That would be great, Allura,” He murmured. “I want Keith to sleep as much as possible, I have a feeling that these next days will be…  _ difficult  _ for him.” Allura nods, smiling as she closed the heavy door almost silently. Sadly though, Keith was already awake, stretching out his muscled limb with a quiet groan. “Hey baby,” Lance whispered, pressing a kiss to Keith’s hair. 

 

“Hey, Lance,” Keith mumbled back tiredly, smiling at the gentle kiss and leaning up to press one directly to the other’s lips. Lance just adored this dragon, every bit of him. From those rough, weathered horns to his calloused, scaled feet. The gorgeous yellow eyes that often met his, and the soft hair upon his head; Lance loved all of these. Keith was just a gorgeous specimen, including his personality. Reserved, but kind and caring. Even though he tended to act on emotion and impulse, it let them to where they are now, and Lance wouldn’t change it for the world. 

 

“Are you hungry?” He asked quietly, and received a small nod in return, chuckling as the dragon sprawled out on top of him, Keith mindful of their wounds. “You’re so cute,” Lance mumbled mostly to himself, but it drew a sleepy giggle out of Keith. 

 

“Thank, Lance. You cute too,” He mumbled, sleep still tainting his voice. The two remained cuddled up like that until a servant came in with their dinner, leaving them to eat in peace. They indeed ate in peace, sitting beside one another and eating their dinners with quiet content.

 

After their dinner was finished and plates were pushed to the side, Lance got up to stretch his legs, gazing out the window. The sun was just setting, casting a golden-orange glow over the courtyard and castle, as well as the Prince’s tanned face. It would be dark soon; maybe he should show Keith his Father’s grave. He had been thinking about it for the past little while; the site was an intimate place visited only by Lance and Allura, and they were usually never together. It was their place to talk about their emotions without being judged, and their place to seek advice from a fatherly figure who was long gone. Showing an outsider such as Keith to this place was a difficult decision for Lance, but as he felt a gentle arm around wrap around his waist, he knew that showing Keith is the right decision. 

 

“Hey, babe? Can I take you somewhere?” Lance asked softly, looking down at Keith’s arm. Keith nodded against Lance’s back, squeezing his waist softly. 

 

“Where?” Keith asked softly, taking Lance’s hand and following him out of the room. 

 

“I’ll tell you when we get there, love,” Lance whispered, sighing softly and squeezing Keith’s hand. They traveled out and into the courtyard, walking slowly to the singular grave that was decorated with diminishing light and red roses. “This,” Lance started, licking his lips, nerves kicking in. “This is where my Father is buried.” His voice cracked as he sat in front of the grave, having Keith sit next to him. “I-I come here when I need to talk and…” Lance was quite obviously on the brink of tears, since he’d never said these emotions aloud to anyone else. “I just… I wanted you to see him. This… this is really important to me. And-And I thought you should know.”

 

Keith rubbed Lance’s thigh, nodding as his mate spoke. He let silence sit for a minute before speaking in broken English. “Lance, I… Thank you for show me. I know this is… hard… for you. I sure your father was great man,” Keith spoke, nodding. “I here for you, always,” He added in a whisper, and that’s when Lance started crying. Keith slid into Lance’s lap, hugging him close and wrapping his wings around them in a protective fashion. He didn’t say anything, just sat there and stayed there for his mate. 

 

Lance relished in the comfort that the other provided, crying into the other’s embrace and clinging to him. It was obvious that Keith cared for him, and that warmed the Prince’s heart. For some ungodly reason, Lance first feared that his mate would judge him for this, well, this  _ secret _ . It wasn’t quite a secret, but Lance didn’t have any other words to describe it. Maybe  _ personal  _ was a better word. Something so  _ personal _ that left Lance open for insulting or prodding had kept him from sharing this with  _ anyone.  _ Keith took it all in stride, accepting it as apart of the prince and not for a  _ second  _ teasing him for it. 

 

After a few minutes, Lance calmed himself, pulling away from his mate a bit. Red wings folded back, but Keith kept gentle hands wrapped loosely around the other. The dragon offered a gentle, comforting smile, one that Lance returned. “Ah, Keith? I- I know it may seem odd, but can- can I introduce you? To my dad?” Keith nods, twisting in Lance’s lap and facing the worn grave stone. The prince wrapped soft hands around his waist, clearing his throat a little. “Hey dad,” He mumbled. “This- This is Keith. I told you about him, remember? I- wanted you to meet him. And,” He paused for a second, gathering his thoughts. “And I wanted Keith to meet you, even if you aren’t here.

 

“He’s quite pretty, you know. Well, I’m sure you can see him. But- uhm, I… I thought that a  _ formal  _ introduction was in order.” Keith smiled when Lance stopped talking, not  _ quite  _ understanding what was going on, but rolling with it, clearing his voice. 

 

“Hi. I don’t speak E-English g-good-no, well. I don’t speak English well. But Lance want me to meet… You. He is very strong, and pretty. He is good to me, and very nice to every-everyone else,” Keith seemed to stumble over his words a bit, but even that made Lance’s heart swell with love and adoration; Keith was doing this for  _ him.  _ “You would be proud of Lance. He is worthy of it, I’m sure.” 

 

Lance sniffed hard, grinning softly. “Thank you, Keith. I- I can’t even put into words how much this means to me.  _ Thank you, _ ” He gushed, feeling a few tears fall down his face. He  _ knew  _ he made the right decision with Keith; fate made the right choice with the two. 

 

\--------

 

The meeting with the incoming royals didn’t go  _ quite  _ as well as Allura had hoped, but she supposed that she shouldn’t complain. No one had been harmed, physically anyways, and the release of two dragons had even been granted.  _ Still,  _ Lady Nyma still had such a  _ nasty _ opinion of dragons, and Keith’s emotions were definitely played around with, the poor boy. Lance had barely kept himself in check, she still couldn’t believe that she actually had to  _ slap  _ her brother to get him to behave. He may be getting older, but he still had  _ so  _ much to learn. 

 

Allura shook her head, currently standing outside of the newcomer’s borrowed room. Right now, she needed to brush up on Balmeran history, as well as the history of the Galra. Her quiet feet guided her to the castle library, to her favorite reading desk where dozens of books lay open and scattered. Tidying up a bit, she put away any books that didn’t pertain to Galran history, then settled down with a newer book, written before the beasts had taken over a whole country. 

 

Crystal blue eyes followed along nicely written ink, absorbing the information it had to offer. 

 

_ The Galra, from my understanding, is a group seeking to protect its own kind. Many of their kind seem to have this,  _ **_superiority complex_ ** _ , and tend to feel almost discriminated against, like the world is against them. I’ve been tracking the main group for awhile now, and I believe the leader’s name is Zarkon. I can’t quite be sure, because they speak in a foreign tongue. This Zarkon dragon, he does look like a leader. Taller, stronger, angrier than the rest. I see many reporting to him, so he must be the leader. From what I’ve been able to learn of their language, I’ve deciphered a bit of what he says to his followers. Not all, but enough to follow. He seems to be striking fear into them; telling them that the other dragons won’t accept them for their purple color, or that the dragons will even attack them for being so different.  _

 

_ I, not to brag, am quite an expert on the culture of dragons, and what Zarkon is telling them is completely false. The dragons may be hesitant, without a doubt, but most will still welcome them. They are dragons, just a different species, or in human terms, a different race. They are built bigger and differently coloured, but that is it.  _

 

Allura took in this information, taking note of the leader’s name. The writer of the book, more of a journal anyways, was an anonymous man who followed many different kinds of dragons and studied them intently. 

 

The next section was dated much later, just after the first Galran attack. 

 

_ I cannot believe what I have witnessed. The Galra have gone from a, a following to a hate group, a terrorist group if you will. They were accepted into the Northern country around the time of the Northern Festival; the one where humans and dragons get along for only a few days. They attacked on the second day of the festival. Ripping humans and dragons alike apart, tearing families away from one another. Killing children. Destroying property. Oh, the blood that had been spilled that day. I still feel a splatter of it on my face with one took apart an innocent father.  _

 

Allura shivered a bit at the imagery, but kept reading. 

 

_ Zarkon was there, too. He wasn’t doing anything in particular. He just, stood there, watching everything around him go to hell. I escaped, thank the heavens, retreating as far south as my legs would carry me before making a little bunker in the snow. Hopefully none have followed me here. Oh, I pray to everything holy that the souls that have died that day will rest peacefully among the clouds. I pray that the children who perished at the hands of those evil things are playing in the clouds now.  _

 

Allura felt her eyes tear up, so she stopped reading, closing the thin book silently and putting it on the desk for later. After a quick wipe at her eyes, she stood and wandered to the other side of the library, where maps and books of other countries lay. A few minutes later, she pulled out a large book that contained history of Balmera, and the Balmeran dragons. The queen quietly carried it back to her little spot, settling down with it in her lap and starting to read. 

 

_ The Kingdom of Balmera was established over two hundred years ago,  _ Two hundred and twenty five now, due to the books age.  _ Their first ruler was a gentle queen named Shayna, who was said to be of gorgeous olive skin and tall stature. Her peaceful reign ended when she died of sickness, and a more tyrannical man took hold of the throne. His name was Garon, but most didn’t dare speak it in fear of being punished. This King practically formed the country to what it is now; endlessly working and fearful of dragons. The royalty tended to host many parties and gatherings for the nobles, drinking away as the lower classes slaved away.  _

 

Allura hummed to herself, deciding that this information was enough to get by. The Queen put the older book on her mahogany desk silently, running her dark fingers over the wood. Handcrafted for her mother, a wedding gift that will still be around long after the current Queen has passed. She traced the wooden swirls with her pinky, smiling softly. This desk held fond memories of her parents. Her mother, sitting atop it as she tore through book after book, her father seated in the chair beside her and combing through books happily, though slower than his wife. 

 

He’d spent a lot of time there after Allura’s mother had died. Sometimes Allura had watched him cry, other times he just looked _ sad _ , longing and sorrow filling his eyes. The man always brightened up for his children though, and he was eventually able to push that sadness away with the help of his son and daughter, as well as the castle’s staff. The staff was considered family, believe it or not. Most of the servants were raised with Lance and Allura, taking the place of their own parents once they’d passed. At the start of each year, there was a huge feast that  _ everyone _ was invited to; servants and townspeople alike. On those nights, no one was distinguished by wealth or social class; everyone was equal. Allura loved those nights. 

 

After what must’ve been twenty minutes of reminiscing, Hunk quietly came into the library and informed his Queen that dinner was ready to be served, and that Lance and his mate happened to be asleep. She thanked him, watching as he walked to the door before stopping him. “Ah, Hunk?”

 

The large man stopped, turning around and giving the older woman a questioning look. “Yes, your Highness?”

 

Allura chuckled, standing and walking towards him. “I  _ told  _ you, Allura is just fine,” She scolded lightly, then her smile faded a bit as she went for a more serious question. “I just… Wanted your opinion. On Lance, and Keith. Or rather, Keith and Shiro. I wanted to make sure that, well, everyone is handling this new change. Or,  _ if  _ everyone can handle this new change.”

 

Hunk shifted to face her more, rubbing his arm in thought. “Well… For Lance, I’m happy. I didn’t think it was even  _ possible  _ for him to find someone to like him as much as Keith does. Lance is happier than I’ve seen him in quite awhile, I think that’s a really good thing.” He paused, gathering his thoughts for another moment. “Having the dragons here… It was different, I’ll admit. A little terrifying, honestly, at first. But then I saw, we  _ all _ saw how well they fit in here. Keith, although practically cemented to Lance, is really kind, not something I-  _ any _ of us were expecting. Shiro, well, he was a lot scarier at first. He still kind of is, and that’s probably a good thing. I know that he is very attached to Matt,  _ all _ of the younger servant girls have been talking about it; they have all the information you want on that subject.” 

 

Allura grinned softly, brushing a white strand behind her ear. “What do you think, overall? Was… Was this a good decision, do you think?”

 

Hunk smiled warmly. “Yeah… Yeah, I think it was a really great decision. Now if you’ll excuse me,  _ Allura,  _ I need to inform our guests that dinner is ready.”

 

The Queen laughed softly, nodding. “Oh, and Hunk?” She called as he was about to exit. “Thank you.” The servants flashes another smile and nods, then left the library in search of the Balmeran guests. Allura stood there a moment, taking in the quiet, before shaking her head, making her way over to her little brother’s temporary room; they were working on getting the smell of  _ death  _ out of his old room, and it was slowly, slowly working. The blood stains were already out, which was good. 

 

She pushed open the door after knocking and receiving quiet permission to enter. She nearly grinned at the sight of her very sleepy brother cuddling Keith. “Lance, dinner is ready. I see that Keith is asleep though, would you rather eat it here?” She said softly, moving to tuck yet another strand of her hair behind her ear. After receiving confirmation, she left, walking down to the dining room and taking her seat at the head of the table. Hunk entered not too long after, and after the royals were seated, she quietly told him to take food up to Keith and Lance.

 

The Balmeran royalty were dressed in the same outfits as this morning, though Nyma’s face seems to have been touched up since their meeting. The two were tense as food was served for them, and the Queen sighed softly, plastering on a smile and beginning conversation with the two. “Good evening, King Rolo and Lady Nyma. I trust you found your room to your liking?”

 

Rolo nods, relaxing into his seat. “Yes! Thank you, my queen, for such a room. We _ adore  _ the window as well, watching the sunset here will be absolutely gorgeous.  _ Right,  _ Nyma?” The woman huffed, plastering on a very fake smile and nodded. 

 

“Yes, thank you for the room,” She said softly, moving to focus on her food instead of the conversation before noticing that a certain two individuals were missing. “Your Highness, where is the Prince and his- his dragon?”

 

Allura sipped her water, blinking at the question before answering. “Keith is sleeping, and Lance is staying by his side. The meeting earlier was a bit draining for the both of them, so I’m allowing them to skip eating at the table tonight in favor of them eating in their room.”

 

“ _ Their  _ room? So they sleep together? That’s  _ disgusting, _ ” Nyma said aloud, not bothering to look at Rolo. 

 

Allura forced herself to be civil, as that is what is befitting of a Queen, but oh, did Nyma make her blood  _ boil.  _ “Lady Nyma, I will ask for you to refrain such comments about my brother and his partner, or I will have to ask you to leave the table. This is hardly an appropriate conversation to be having over dinner.”

 

Nyma scoffed. “I’ll leave then, because I won’t be able to hold myself back when talking about those two. That sort of relationship is absolutely  _ vile.  _ Not only a man and a man, but a man and- and a male dragon? That’s-”

 

“Enough!” Allura’s voice boomed. She quieted down after her sudden outburst, but her voice was still quite firm. “You will leave this table immediately, and head straight for the room I so  _ graciously  _ lended to you. You are not to return from it until your departure in the morning, understood?”

 

The foreign Queen looked at Allura with a mix of shock and anger. “ _ Excuse me?  _ Do you know who-”

 

“Yes,” Allura snapped, straightening her back. “I do. And  _ you’re  _ speaking to the Queen of the country that you are in. I suggest you listen to what I have told you before I am forced to make you leave tonight. You needn’t be at the war room tonight, either. Your King can handle those matters on his own.”

 

Nyma slowly nodded, swallowing and quietly walking back to her room. Allura slouched a bit, sighing then looking apologetically at Rolo, who seemed a bit nervous.

  
“I apologize for that outburst of mine. Where were we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, you can find me on twitter @zaynewrites if you ever want to talk or throw a fic idea at me! Thank you for reading!!! 
> 
> Also, let me know if there are any errors?


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